


Fate’s Contradicting Storm

by Not_a_Siren



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged Up, Blood, Bruises, College, Core 5, Crushing, Early Twenties, F/F, F/M, Fanart always appreciated for this fic in future, Fate, Flashbacks, Graphic, HELL YEA, Insomnia, Kitty Section, Kwamis - Freeform, Kwamis sometimes won’t admit they’re just as clueless sometimes, LadyLuka, Love, Lukabug, Lukanette, Mariperion, Miraculous Big Bang, Miraculous Music, Multi, Nightmares, PTSD, Pining, Secrets, Songs, Storms, Teamwork, Viperbug, Viperionette, Vipernette, alcohol intolerant, break ups, criminals, hawkmoth pulling all the stops, loosely used term of “soul mates”, overcompensating work of kwamis, revealed identities, successful lives, suit changes, universally drawn, y’all i fucking symbolize shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:48:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23437213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_a_Siren/pseuds/Not_a_Siren
Summary: When Luka Couffaine was 17, he took off with his father, Jagged Stone, for a tour shortly after graduation -his way of apologizing for missing out on him growing up after Anarka professed the truth she kept well hidden.And he had to leave the love of his life behind in doing so for almost two years, enough time for her and Adrien to come together.He’s 24 now, both him and all his friends have found early success in their field of careers. And now he’s growing inexplicably closer to Marinette Dupain-Cheng again while her and Adrien struggle to find out why their relationship feels like it’s digressing.At least Alya gets a kick out of her Ladyblog’s polls between LadyNoir and Viperbug fans.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste & Plagg, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Alya Césaire, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Nino Lahiffe, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alix Kubdel & Fluff, Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire & Trixx, Alya Césaire | Rena Rouge/Nino Lahiffe | Carapace, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Chloé Bourgeois & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Chloé Bourgeois & Pollen, Chloé Bourgeois/Therapy, Gabriel Agreste & Nooroo, Ivan Bruel & Stompp, Ivan Bruel/Mylène Haprèle, Jagged Stone/Anarka Couffaine, Juleka Couffaine & Luka Couffaine, Juleka Couffaine & Roarr, Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant, Kagami Tsurugi & Longg, Luka Couffaine & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Luka Couffaine & Rose Lavillant, Luka Couffaine & Sass, Luka Couffaine | Viperion/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Lê Chiến Kim & Xuppu, Marinette Dupain-Cheng & Tikki, Master Fu/Marianne Lenoir, Max Kanté & Alix Kubdel & Lê Chiến Kim, Max Kanté & Kaalki, Max Kanté & Markov, Mylène Haprèle & Mullo, Nathalie Sancoeur & Duusuu, Nino Lahiffe & Wayzz, Rose Lavillant & Daizzi, Sabine Cheng/Tom Dupain
Comments: 8
Kudos: 54





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Don’t forget to bookmark, comment and leave a kudos! Check out my tumblr notasiren21 for updates and head canons about Lukanette and join the Miraculous Big Bang! Thank you!

"I swear on my blog, if one more of you whiny wannabe singers complains that you haven't gotten your makeup done yet, I will slap a bit-," a loud sound of clattering arose from behind her.

"Alya, babette, what did we talk about?"

The media hungry girl gave a side glance to her boyfriend of several years that gave her a pointed look while opening boxes.

"Stop threatening to slap a bitch," she grumbled, obviously upset that she couldn't do what she wanted.

"And what were you doing?"

"Threatening to slap a bitch."

The girl behind the current singer getting her makeup done gave a smug look, "Thanks, handsome. Glad to know someone has morals than this B level measly makeup artist."

Alya's lip twitched and turned into a sadistic smile as Nino fully knocked his wireless Bluetooth headphones to his neck, fuming.

"Excuse me, what did-," Alya twitched her shoulder a fraction but her ever so attentive boyfriend caught it and stopped talking the very millisecond.

"I'm sorry, you're right. It was wrong of me to speak that way in your presence." The girl stood with a hand to her hip and playing with a pink polka dot makeup brush that was originally on the makeup table besides her. Her demeanor screamed Pre-Chloé. Her head tilted ever since slightly, "What was your name again?"

"Sandrine Eve," an annoying her flip and hint of a smirk.

"Sandrine Eve huh? Nino?" The boy stood by her side, "Think you can do me a favor and remember this name, _handsome_?"

He smiled brilliantly at her and stepped closer, hand touching her waist as hers teasingly flicked the baseball cap that was Velcro attached through a belt loop on his jeans. He saw the mischief and need for revenge dance in her eyes, wanting to see the success that soon followed afterwards.

Several eyes flitted between the two trying to put two and two together.

_'Are they together or are they joking around?'_

"Sure, babe." He places a chaste kiss to her lips that prompted reactions from several, "What for?"

She turned fully towards him, hands clasping one makeup brush she was using just then excitedly and nearly bouncing on the heals of her feet.

' _She spends too much time with lil dudette_ ', he chuckled at her adopted mannerisms knowing full well who they stemmed from.

"I just know my viewers will go nuts over a bitchy singer on the rise! Oh god, the material will receive so much attention and feedback, especially if I personally do it like the other my other top stories." Alya was practically swooning at the thought of her ratings going up for another time this month.

A loud, audible gasp came from Sandrine. "Wait, what does she mean?"

Other girls stood behind her ready to defend the brat when their attention turned.

A girl with black and purple hair rounded the corner chatting excitedly -with a 20% level of enthusiasm- to the famous blond haired model.

Juleka and Adrien laughed as they approached the couple, completely unaware of the large mass of female singers that looked scared or on the verge of a hair pulling fight.

"Oh my god, it's Adrien Agreste!"

"Juleka Couffaine? I'm a huge fan!"

"Adrien, I loved last months issue you modeled in."

"I love Saber the most in the band!"

"Adrien and Juleka won't stand for you treating us this way." Sandrine snapped.

It was a loud and whiny collection of love proclamations for the two, prompting them to take a step back tentatively near the couple.

"Uh, guys?" Juleka said, her long pony tail she had done for her earlier swaying to her confusion. Adrien looked uncomfortable but managed his model smile -the one everyone in their friend group thought was bittersweet since it looked nice but it was a reminder of his shitty childhood that was forced- girls swooned at his smile and some screamed. The twenty-one year old started laughing with the look of " _what the hell did I just walk into?"_.

"I'm terribly sorry for meeting under such circumstances," Sandrine started before the couple could. Stepping forth and gently brushing her fingertips against Adrien's chest. Sandrine was attractive, several girls visually showed envy to her and she thrived off it. Adrien stopped breathing and his head tilted cutely, trying to get a solid read off her. "Some people just don't know when to quit it and reevaluate themselves when they've most clearly hit their peak at a young age." She took a chance to make a pointed look at Alya . Whether she was choosing to ignore the confusion that she felt earlier when the burnt orangette talked of one of her fears, or she was just naive enough to let it go was beyond Nino and Alya.

Nino was quick to catch his girlfriend's wrist that went to jab an eyeliner pencil to the girl.

The friends were so well versed with one another, they could almost see invisible cat ears on the boy's golden locks twitch in realization.

He flashed the model smile again in a sweet way, "You're right. I have met people who peak at such a young age, it's quite astonishing that I continue to meet them to this day." His left hand came to mess up his styled hair -knowing full well he would be reprimanded for it- as he threw his head back in a cheerful laugh before his face harden and his eyes turned cold.

"She's gonna be real pissed 'bout his hair," could be faintly heard from Juleka who leaned towards the couple.

"I'd advise you to take a step or ten back away from me and my friends, before I call security on you." His words seemed to carry an impact as well as the hazardous expression he showed. The girls stumbled back and found other makeup artists to flock too, arm in arm with one another and loudly proclaiming their woes. The blond model turned back to his friends, hands spread out and a crooked smile. "Well, how'd I do?"

Ayla twirled the makeup brush in his hands, "Not bad, Agreste. Maybe all your turns with Chloe really paid off for something."

"No, he'd have to make a cry for daddy to really get there."

"Accurate observation, Jules." She openly accepted the fist bump from Nino with a smile.

He waved them, eyes rolling to the farthest depths of angst he had. "Whatever, what time does this show start?"

"Around five I'm sure? We're running late as is."

"No, _you_ guys are running late. I've already got my music cued and my tech crew on standby." The dark twenty-one year old paused, throwing his arm around a glaring girlfriend and sheepishly grinning. "But I'm sure you'll pull it off at the last second just like always, babes."

"Nice save," Adrien threw out in a playfully supportive yet sarcastic voice, sitting in the makeup artist's chair and playing with the pink polka dot brushes.

"Thanks man, thought so too."

"Adrien Agreste!" Both boys froze, stopping in their actions as the girls watched in mild amusement. The former mentioned rushed to adjust his hair in the vanity mirror.

"It doesn't look bad, right?" He could hear the sound of heals in short strides clicking faster. "Right?" He pressed again more frantically.

"Let's put it this way, lover boy; you look like you just took one of your Chat Noir extravagant pole rides across Paris."

"Ah fuck," he said lowly, earning a snicker from his supposed friends who looked above his head to the irritated blue haired girl that was clutching a black tie in hand and a sketchbook. He swiveled the chair around slowly, meeting the bluebell eyes of his high school sweetheart, "Princess! Hi, don't you look radiate as ever?" He grasped her hands and made an attempt to pull her down for a kiss before he was shoved away.

"Why don't you ever compliment me like that?"

"Alya, I swear on all that is holy-,"

She brought a hand up, "Never mind, I don't have time for excuses."

Juleka sat on an instrument storage box, "See, this is the perk of being a lesbian; you already know what she wants."

"Don't think that applies to all lesbians, Jules." The blogger scoffed.

"Yeah, how bigoted of you."

The female singer laughed quietly, "Assholes, the lot of you."

"Back on topic, where did the sunshine couple go?" Alya said, looking up from the floor where she had been spreading the pile of previously used makeup around.

As great they all were as superheros, not one had seemed to notice the two sneak off down curtains and into hallways, until they were in a supply closet. Neither not knowing who was shoved into the cramped space first and who was the one to close the door blindly. Their lips had met in a flurry, desperately searching for the answers to their more recent struggles and worries.

"Could've, could've just used your office," Adrien tried, fumbling when Marinette had nibbled on his bottom lip and pulled at his jacket collar. He stumbled forwards, hands catching himself against a free wall and bracketed his girlfriend on either side of her head.

"Too far, different floor. " Her gasp was audible when the loose sheer fabric of her dark navy button up blouse slid off her shoulder, his hand tilted her head back, only able to draw a string of wet kisses and short pecks along her neck. "Show starts soon. Maybe we should leave now."

_She's already calling this attempt quits._

He hummed, agreeing with her but trying to make it work for them both like it used to. "You know, I thought you looked pretty damn hot glaring at me in those tight designer skinny jeans of yours and your makeup done up like that."

He was reaching, she could tell.

"And I thought the same when I had styled your hair earlier, c'mon, we can try another time but we have this show to do."

He relented, moving far enough to rest his forehead against hers and breathe her scent in. Eyes closed, he could still tell she was visibly upset as well. He dropped one hand to fall to rest at her small waist, and gently headbutt her by habit. This was far easier when he was his alter ego and forced himself to not see her as his girlfriend but his partner.

Then? Well, then he could flirt with her at ease, openly make remarks per their own amusement, and now he definitely didn't feel a sense of jealousy when her other greatest partner lightly flirted with her too.

_Only ever in his superhero form though, so maybe it was just a fun outlet for him?_ Adrien would probably never know, he only knew that he wasn't able to bring himself to care anymore and it only started occurring a few months ago around the time whatever loomed over his relationship with Marinette started.

"I love you," he found himself forcing to her, knowing she was trying the same thing. The scrunch of her nose told him as much as he felt it against his own and felt his own sad smile make way on his face.

"You too," was her only response.

He couldn't blame her or find hurt to feel at her words. It was a mutual feeling that tore them both apart as they scrabbled to fix it and wonder what their issue was.

They were attracted to one another still. God were they attracted to one another. He always thought she was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen -albeit aside from Ladybug at first- when he saw her for the first time when he ran off to attend school and make friends. And she only grew prettier as time went on.

Granted, she never actually grew all that much and was only about five feet maybe with two inches on a good day (envious of Rose for making it to 5'3 and leaving her in the dust), but she grew into her features and stayed fit due to the never ending responsibilities as Ladybug.

_It was a miracle if she could gain a pound after all the running she's forced to do._

Adrien himself also was more handsome than before, and to his former classmates, that was saying something.

He became significantly taller, features hardening and losing the baby fat that all the girls cooed at when he was younger. He had more liberty to do what he wanted with his hair and what to wear -unless Marinette was in charge for an event or shoot then maybe not but he was never one to argue really- and he was without a doubt, well muscled in a skinny way but buff enough to show through tight clothes.

"We should head out," he stated, arms falling to his side as Marinette moved to clean his face of rogue glitter she hadn't put on him. He stretched, cracking his neck from one side to the other as she tucked his shirt properly like a stylist would and straightened his jacket. "Hey," he prompted her to glance up, pressing a quick kiss to her lips and grinning in a Chat Noir kind of way.

"Hi," she blinked. He laughed.

_Despite everything, she'll always be too cute._

He smiled wider, "I love you." His tone came out differently than before, less serious and more lighthearted. She beamed up at him.

"I love you too," giggling when he hugged her impossibly close and lifted her off her feet.

Years working side by side, and they'd forever be grateful they knew one another so well after it all.

He was grateful he could still say those three words in a different manner, in a lovingly platonic and familial manner, and she could reciprocate it without hesitation. He hated their situation now but he pressed it to the farthest depths of his mind to worry about later.

Breathing in sharply, "Ah, I'm so amped!" He gave her one last squeeze, setting her down and baring his teeth in an excited manner. She tweaked her blouse a good measure for blind adjustment and opened the door, laughing when he ushered her out.

"Yeah, I can tell. I'd appreciate it if you took it down a notch or two, kitty."

He chased after her, charming Cheshire grin permanently etched to his face as he watched her sense the upcoming annoyance he was about to rain down upon her. He caught up at times, through the three minute trek, spinning on his heels to try and challenge her as she huffed and casted her eyes to the side.

"Aw, c'mon, bug! Can't you feel the buzzing excitement in the air around you?" She snorted at his ridiculous hand gestures and the dramatic reach of his arms to demonstrate his point. "A debut performance of five bands and seven solo artists with your new fashion line being on full display? And a new single dropped by Kitty Section?" He whistled lowly, forearm resting on her shoulder as they reached her vanity table and shoved him to sit down. "The media is gonna eat this up."

"Okay, I'm a little excited." She muttered, small smile present as she leaned forwards to fix his disarray of bangs. The mentioning of media that would make note of her work would be enough to kill thirteen year old Marinette Dupain-Cheng. He grinned widely, enjoying their mood now than before.

_It's easier to enjoy the good moments than wonder why it feels better this way._

"See? That's the spirit!" His phone rang and the smile dropped, irritation taking over instead.

"Your dad?" She was quick to touch up on his makeup while he sat patiently.

"Yeah, I gotta answer this." He stood up, blowing an over dramatic kiss in her direction while glaring down at the picture of the man who only cared about his fashion company. "Gotta love being the sole heir to _Agreste_." He mused, pressing to answer and head towards the press waiting for his responses that his father was no doubt supplying him with.

He was gone for the remainder of prep time, Marinette completing the makeup of a handful of girls and some boys, altering some outfits with the help of her team on standby.

It wasn't like Marinette didn't care about the matter of her relationship that seemed to be lacking in the romance and feelings department, it had gone on for awhile. She cared, majorly. She had cried the first few nights and tried spending some with him, but they all resulted in friendly battles of video games and junk food comatose states on opposite ends of the couch in her hotel living suite.

_It was a relationship of three years, that had to count for something._

Try as hard as they did, it was becoming a constant struggle to rekindle the romance, the feelings and loving contentedness. Only when they were their alter selves or just hanging around like the pair of friends they were, did she feel okay with it all.

She was in the middle of idly texting Alya while twirling in her salon chair when a pair of hands grasped the armrests and deep ocean blue eyes met hers, sending a quickening beat to her heart as one hand hastily rushed to rest above it.

Concern quickly took over his near invisible features of being stressed, coming to crouch at her level and checking her over. "Sorry, did I startle you?"

She laughed lightly, "Nothing a quick electroshock wouldn't fix, Luka."

He smiled, small and kind. Standing to his full height that towered well over her, he held out a hand and easily brought her upright. Taking her seat and facing her as his eyes shut and she started his makeup first.

She found herself to be distracted by Luka ever since their first meeting, always studying his appearance and features. She wasn't at all disappointed for how he turned out to be.

His features and structures seemed to harden too, becoming more prominent and sharp. His dark eyelashes seemed to grow in length where they now highlighted and helped accentuate his breathtakingly blue eyes. His dark, broad eyebrows were natural in their shape and the black of them revealed his natural hair color. Jaw that could rival the cutting edge of a sword and the barely visible single snake bite piercing hole that sat beneath what fangirls of his theorized were the softest pair of pink lips to exist.

His hair had been recently touched up, the electric blue more vibrant than ever and faded into his natural black roots that he learned not to mess with again after the hassle of damaged hair as a teenager.

It should be noted that his muscles and body in general benefited greatly when he managed to bring his ass to the gym later on in high school and was permanently gifted the miraculous of the snake, relying on mostly his own strength for close combat and other physical exertion.

To say Luka Couffaine was handsome and attractive, it would be the understatement of the year.

"Haven't seen you since our meeting at ten this morning," she muttered, dabbing a lighter shade of concealer under his eyes to cover the signs of stress and the thing she hated just as well as he did. "Take it that new medicine isn't working?"

Only she, Juleka, his parents and Rose knew he had insomnia. He was normally great at hiding it but the amount of work he's been put to do, it didn't take a genius to guess he wasn't able to sleep last night.

He shrugged, internally relaxing at the hand of hers resting near his arm to steady herself.

"I had a cat nap around twelve in my office for a good twenty minutes or so." He yawned, holding a hand up as a form of apologizing for halting her ministrations. "Ya know, I could take another nap here actually." He nestled further in the warmth of her chair from where she had previously been sitting, his stress ebbing away from her perfume filling his senses.

She hummed, moving to grab a black makeup box underneath that was strictly meant for him. It contained his makeup for regular appearances, and the occasional stage makeup for Kitty Section's lead guitarist and vocalist, Siren. Two bottles of black nail polish for whenever he was in the mood to have them painted, extra pair of regular black or dark navy blue earrings that were regular studs and the few that ran along his left ear cartilage.

She began to apply moisturizer while finding his concealer that matched his skin tone and laying a few earrings out for him.

"Normally, I'd have to advise against that, seeing how groggy it could make you naturally. But you and I will be here for awhile so feel free to rest your eyes, and if you nap? You nap."

"You sure?" He peered one eye at her, skepticism showing and surprise that she was allowing him a chance to nap when they had a big night ahead of them.

"Yes, I'll send an intern to get you coffee while you rest."

"Always a blessing, Mari." Another yawn, "Before I forget, I'm late because dear old dad wants me to preform a cover or two."

Marinette stopped for a second, frowning. "As the mysteriously soothing Siren or as the elusive but handsome Luka?" She teased, pushing his hair back.

"As me," the sigh that escaped him was frantic and long. "The man wants me to go out there and host this event, introduce the debuting groups, then get changed into Siren and preform the new Kitty Section single, and then come back here and have you race to take off my makeup and change it to fit my last solo album appearance."

" _Lightning Storm_? I hope I can find that snake bite piercing for that album appearance get up. I'll paint your nails after I do your hair to get ahead of the game but god, I'll have to spray the hell out of your hair to wash out the hairspray to restyle it."

"Mm," he reached for her glass water bottle that resided near her sketchbook on the slick tabletop, snapping it open and taking a sip of her mint green tea as he sat with it in his hands.

"What's on your mind now?"

"Just wondering what you'll do for the outfit, we don't have any on standby since this was last minute and I doubt you could recreate the one on the cover."

The shirt she had designed was a complexly torn button up with chain cuffed earrings and music critics raved for his bloody and bruised appearance that matched both his own songs and the cover songs.

Let it be kept a secret but Luka Couffaine had been sworn to secrecy that on one song (or a few), Marinette did the backing vocals and an unnamed cover for a bonus just listed as Melody for a name.

The day he discovered she could sing had been an arrow straight through his heart and he was more sure than ever that day she would be the only one worthy of his attention.

Only she could pass off an angelically soft harmonizing tone that blended with his and contrasted in the best way imaginable.

One small hand tilted his chin upwards, "Luka, I'm offended that you wouldn't think I have something in the works already."

The smirk she sent his way when he opened his eyes hit straight through his chest. Heart quickening in rapid sessions and tips of his ears flaring. Her melody rang clear in his head and he felt less crazed or that he wouldn't end up murdering his spontaneous father.

He watched her at work, the hustling behind him a dull roar. He gripped the warm bottle in his hands when she inched closer, perfume more present in mind and washing away everything else.

It was when she hummed that he remembered what else he was supposed to remind her.

"They um, they want to do something else." He licked his lips when she raised her brow expectantly, waiting patiently for his answer. "They want to have me preform a cover and then towards the end of _If This is What Love is,_ they want Melody to ease in and surprise the audience and media with _Yes Girl_ to bounce off my cover, then transition into _Laps Around a Picture Frame_ duet."

The laugh she let out sent shivers throughout his spine. The antagonizing process of choosing songs to cover for his album had turned into a game when they first started, Kitty Section broke into teams to see who could find the best ones and a line up. Jagged Stone had been there that night on the _Liberty_ when the entirety of the band, with Myléne and Marinette included, decided to make a night of it and get themselves hopped up on sugar on a Friday night. If it wasn't for the hyper activity, Marinette wouldn't have given into the pressure to sing with Luka and take everyone by surprise with her voice. Jagged immediately insisted on having her lend her hidden talent to Luka's solo album.

They were the only two who could fake fluency in an accent for a few different languages.

Well, and Adrien.

"And you're just mentioning this now?" He weakly nodded, eyes casting downwards apologetically. Sometimes he wished he could be like Adrien and unabashedly grin up at her innocently without letting even the slightest bit of guilt get to him. He flinched when she sighed deeply, "Alright fine, I'll do it. It's impossible to say no when you look like a kicked puppy."

She ruffled his messy hair affectionately.

"Really? You sure?" Ignoring the onslaught of flames to his ears.

"Yeah, I have to make an appearance anyways and maybe it's time to come forth about backing you on your album...or maybe not." She teased. She handed him the earrings, placing herself behind him to work on his hair and push it back with enough volume. "Besides, I think I have an outfit in mind to join you on stage that I've been dying to put together." Her sentence fragmented at the end with one last word that missed his ears.

His head tilted to see her, "What is it?"

Marinette's laugh was light and airy, sending a flustering of feelings through him as she held the frame of his face carefully and guided him to face the mirror again. "It'll be interesting to say the least, now hush and let me do my work. Save your voice for the audience. Take your nap, Couffaine."

He huffed but relented, falling victim to the feel of her hands in his hair yet again and finding it far easier to be lulled to sleep than usual.

He'd never admit it, not if he could help it, but this was the most he could ever be close to Marinette and have her undivided attention. This and out in the throes of danger.

He couldn't even admit it to himself.

Luka slumped a bit further into his seat, nearly letting out a low hum to the sensation of her fingers running through his raven and electric blue locks in precision. Dreaming of affections between the two when her left hand drifted down to hold his neck loosely while her right was brushing hair into place. And listening to her song play in his head endlessly.

He slept through her finishing his makeup and hair.

She had jumped up onto the vanity table, turning his chair so she could keep one of his hands on her thigh while she painted his nails carefully and quickly as his head leaned in her direction and rested against her knee during his slumber.

Luka awoke to the smell of coffee and her tapping his nose, giggling when it scrunched up.

She finished her text to Alya and pocketed the phone.

"What's so funny?" He rubbed at his eyes lightly, afraid to mess up the makeup and reached for the fresh brewed drink she had for him as well as a bag of gummy worms that he could share with Sass. "Hell, I've nearly forgotten that he's been by my side as of lately for hours on end."

She half sat on one arm rest of his, opening the pack and grabbing one for his kwami that dozed off in the inner sewings of the vest pocket she made for Luka.

Tikki having been dozing off in the loose fabric of the Marinette's blouse pocket.

"You know he's aware of how busy you've been, and to answer your previous question, it's your nose."

His hand immediately grasped the subject of their new conversation, "My nose? What's wrong with it?"

Marinette reached to remove his hand, a breathy laugh passing her lips as she glanced down at his face.

"Nothing's wrong with it. It's just, after all these years, you've grown so much and become so handsome and got these sharp features," her finger tapped his nose again, "Yet your nose stayed the same. Same lil button nose that's adorable and totally doesn't kill your punk vibe."

" _Punk vibe_?" He snorted, "I do _not_ have a punk vibe."

"Yes, you keep telling yourself that." He chewed on gummy worm, his head falling to rest against her arm. "Doors open in less than ten minutes, can't take another nap. Sorry."

He yawned, supplying her with an answer in the form of a shrug before he set his eyes ahead.

"Don't look now, but the cavalry is coming." He mused.

"Wonder what Nino did to piss Alya off this time."

"Seriously, just look at the pace she's walking at to get away from him."

"And, yep, there he is. The idiot cackling behind his best friend."

Luka smirked, "It's not nice to call your boyfriend names."

"Ha! And you think I enjoy being called 'bugaboo'? You're sorely mistaken, how little you know me, Monsieur Couffaine." She feigned hurt, faltering when he snorted in response.

The two watched as Alya threw herself into the salon chair, parallel from Luka's and arms crossed. Nino's hands coming to rest on the back of her seat with his head hanging low, murmuring apologies to her, and Adrien saddling up besides him with hands in his pockets and still laughing deeply.

"What happened?" Luka's eyes were barely able to stay open, so he opted to just listen instead. His head still pressed comfortably to Marinette's side from where she sat on his armrest, sipping her tea.

"Yeah, Nino. What happened?" Alya gritted out with her head tilting back.

Adrien spared them a glance, Luka and Marinette, confusion flashing across his features over the lack of concern or jealousy at seeing them so close. He didn't care actually.

Marinette not shrugging him off and finding it within herself to be so careful around the two attractive boys raised caution to her but died more quickly than it should have.

Instead, Adrien broke out into another fit of laughs, looking at the two then back to the couple consistently as he struggled to speak.

"Nino decided to compliment a girl for looking pretty," he cleared his throat and spoke seriously for a second, "As a kind gentleman does when he's waiting on his girlfriend to get dressed and is next to the girl in waiting." His tone took that of false understanding with a courtesy nod.

"Dude, no."

"When the woman speaks in a deep voice and says she's the drag queen debut!"

Marinette's mouth dropped open, "No way."

Luka only snickered, tranquilly chewing on another gummy.

"Yes way! Yes fucking way!" The model leaned forwards to brace himself on his legs, "God, it was so damn beautiful!"

"Wait, why is Alya pissed then?"

"Because she's overdramatic." Nino supplied bitterly, the stress of the night getting to them as he fidgeted with his Beats.

His girlfriend gaped, clearly affronted. "It's because you complimented another girl you asshole!"

"It was a very enthusiastic drag queen, Alya!"

Adrien collapsed to the floor, crying in hysterics as he mocked Nino's voice saying, " _It was a very enthusiastic drag queen, Alya!_ " before laughing some more.

"Adrien, honey, I spent a week on those slim cut pants you requested and I will not hesitate to beat your ass with them if you don't get off this glitter infested floor right now."

"Please do so, lil dudette. He needs an ass kicking after the great display of friendship he's shown me today."

Adrien went to defend himself when a stage crew passed by them, informing the five they had two minutes as they were the sole focus in terms of the highlights of the night.

" _Purely business, not for the art of music."_ Luka considered bitterly.

"Right, thanks." They all watched the thin man leave. "Alright, Alya go round up Kitty Section and have them stay here at my station. I was told earlier that some comms aren't working due to the incoming radio traffic and I'd rather Jagged not have a fit tonight. Nino, go to your box and do a quick run through."

The deeply dark tanned boy nodded, supplying her with a wink and an "ok" gesture before pocketing his hands in his Marinette designed hoodie with his DJ name and stalking off.

"TRY NOT TO HIT ON ANYMORE DRAG QUEENS ON THE WAY, BRO!"

"GO FUCK YOURSELF, AGRESTE!"

Marinette pinched at the bridge of her nose, wondering how much hell she would have to reign down on the spoiled boy after all was said and done.

"Adrien, be a dear and check with Max to see if he's solved the tech issues, I need to finish Luka up since he opens with a speech for the start."

He offered a smirk accompanied with a bow, twisting on the ball of his feet and waving a hand. "Try not to miss me too much, bugaboo!"

Luka felt the shiver rack through her body before she stood up and he caught his own weight.

"He thinks that I won't kick his ass one day, just wait." He sat up, grumbling when she gestured for him to stand and started to tie his tie around her own neck before bending a fraction down to meet her eye level -granted, she had to stand on her tiptoes a bit-, and slid the dark tie over his head.

She flipped the collar back down of his button up, unbuttoning the first two buttons to expose a fair amount of skin for his image and perfecting the tie, only to loosen it some and appear a sliver bit crooked.

His arms were pulled into her hands as he watched in a small part of fascination while she folded the sleeves up and revealed the fraction of his sleeve tattoo on his left arm, the beginnings of it from his hand to his forearm showing but the rest covered.

"Here's your standard earrings for now, you can do these by yourself. I'll meet you after the second debuting band."

The musician watched her walk away, deep pain residing as it always did. His own melody coincided with hers throughout his body, slowing it down and pressing a darker touch on it.

She was frequently stopped by various people under an overwhelming display of distress. Always offering a kind smile and a small hand on their arms just as a placated smile took place instead of their frown. Then she'd walk, almost delicately glide really, away from them and before doing another task.

God, how he wished he could allow himself to be so close to her.

The closest he's ever been in a long while was only for a pull in media.

Cover music videos, it was the new rage among artists.

Take an already existing song, since a cover of it, and have a music video done up whether it's a straight up copy or an entire original spin, just so long as all the legal matters were handled and credit was given where it was due.

Luka himself didn't care that much for the trend, didn't show an interest either. He was just fine singing covers per his own amusement and a sedation for boredom. But when his company and the CEO pressed him to do a solo career as well in favor for his huge fan base, he really should have seen it coming.

It was bad enough he had to partake in the trend, but then they pressured Marinette into it as well.

It was pure agony to recreate _Gasoline_ into something more fitting for his image. And it was even worse to place both him and his old school crush in a cover music video where Luka looked like he was beaten nine ways to hell with an open zipped up hoodie and ripped jeans, and the lovely Marinette had her own ensemble that _dear god_ , Luka shouldn't have loved as much as he did.

To make matters more unsuitable, Luka was blindfolded for the company's original take in the video and he had to learn to dance while being unable to see alongside Marinette.

He never laughed internally at himself as much as he did when he discovered that it's true; when one of your senses is disabled, another strengthens.

_Can't listen to Halsey without smelling vanilla spice perfume now._

It was hell when he greeted everyone to the event, saying the drilled in message that drones on as "Welcome to the second Miraculous Music mosaic.".

_What a dumb name for this event._

Miraculous Music enlisted the help of their president -aka Luka Couffaine aka the CEO's son- to help coin a name for the event. When they brought up using the word mosaic, it didn't sit well with Luka for some reason.

Primarily because he felt bitter about the stress he was enduring from the company being both a business head and one of their pawns.

But he smiled that dazzling pearly white smile with straight teeth and his button nose scrunched with it as a dimple came into view...

And all the ladies who stared openly at the younger male swooned and thought they picked a swell name then and there.

True to her word, Marinette showed up when she said she would, and dragged him off to get him ready for Kitty Section's new single drop.

Their costumes had been updated.

Still kinda cute, but each had their own twist and spillage of their own personality while staying true to the theme.

Luka almost breathed a sigh of relief knowing he was being yanked out of stuffy formal clothing into a black tank and a dark blue flannel with a black hoodie and jeans.

If he could, he would've married Marinette as soon as she realized how habitual it was of Luka to want to sling his guitar over his shoulder as a safety net. The faux armor get up, as adorable as it was, prevented him from doing so and she'd taken notice of how fidgety he'd often get.

He watched over her shoulder through the mirror as she placed in the earrings along his left cartilage and sprayed water in his stiff hair, holding the hair dryer patiently in his lap while she tugged his hair free, just to style it again in a side swept look with some bangs hanging down.

His mask was more masculine now, more form fitting to his face. It no longer covered his forehead, but it sat under his bangs and above his nose -that he now knew why was exposed since the costume update. There were some fake cracks in certain spots and no longer was there a unicorn horn for him, instead there was a pink scratch mark across the blue outlined eye that Marinette had to continue with costume makeup on his cheekbone.

One pink colored contact was placed in the eye that resided beneath the blue outline and the other left as it was already blue.

He couldn't hold it against her when she made a headband with cat ears that looked just like they had on his old mask except with piercings in them and some chipped edges on the side to give him a tomcat vibe.

The feedback the band received for his new appearance was more than necessary to say the least. Everyone within the band to the entirety of the miraculous holders knew Luka wasn't entirely convinced that he was even remotely attractive.

The possibility of appearing attractive to such a large amount of people because he was famous and could sing was more likely. Add in him being the CEO's son who was also a rockstar himself, meaning he was successful and rich.

Jagged Stone appeared in tabloids alongside Luka and Juleka when paparazzi caught sight of him at their boathouse before Desperada made an appearance. The rumors that they were his children pressed him to seek answers with Anarka and discover he was in fact the father to the two and wasn't made aware of Luka's birth two years prior to him reconnecting with her one final night and conceiving Juleka.

He should've seen it coming really: they all had the same colored eyes -before Juleka wore colored contacts and later got cosmetic surgery to change them to amber- and they were all natural ravenettes.

There was also Luka's friend group composed of beautiful fashion designer with her own brand working under Agreste and a model, then her model boyfriend and heir to the company, youngest and most successful blogger and news reporter, most popular DJ in the city of Paris, and his sister who played Saber in the band.

He really didn't care and wasn't convinced he was attractive for numerous reasons to say the least.  
  


And maybe that's why he was so confused when an alarm sounded -while on stage and reaching the end of their song- and he rolled his eyes in annoyance and clenched his jaw that some girls screamed louder than the ones who did so in fear and some fainted at the sight of a pissed off looking Siren.

All the while Marinette and the gang laughed a little too loudly from behind the curtains and equally annoyed knowing there was going to be a hell-bent Viperion wrecking havoc on an akuma in a matter of minutes.

The dirty glare Adrien received when joking about a mosaic of the different sides of Luka when they transformed seemed well received.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because it's not like the group had something important to do during the attack, why not put them to work?  
> Basically a big and enlarged dude who was robbing a bank and became akumatized, can now turn people into coins by writing out a check and throwing it at them - dude has clear minded accomplices.  
> Features a flustered Ladybug, and cheeky Viperion, and a flirting Chat Noir.
> 
> Because this fic involves a lot of music, I created a Spotify playlist to limit the amount of work to look up songs:  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Z32vNXRl7nIyJInDdQcb6?si=3Sb1aBkQSuKhUidi6poNPg

"Alright, I need Rena and Carapace to cover the alley way behind the Savings and Loan Bank, Chat to cover the front, Ryuko with the parking lot." She presses firmly on her comm, half aware it wasn't necessary as the miraculous comms knew to differentiate tones and when to connect to the others comms, "I'll take Viperion with me to scout above."

Chat Noir's voice rang loud and clear to everyone, "Aight, buganette. And while I've got your attention, might I say that you look breathtaking under the sunset, and your suit -with the bending of light -is doing wonders to my imagination?"

Viperion's head tilted back in a laugh, black and the greenish blue bangs of his tossing in the wind as chilled air hit the partially shaven sides of his head that were neatly trimmed to short hair with scale decals. He chanced a glance at Ladybug, her now black hair whipping frantically in a gust as she glared at him with red eyes and heated cheeks.

It seemed that only Luka and Alya could tell when Marinette was blushing while transformed. Ever since that one particular night her senior year, when they were all bloody, bruised, barely standing.

Hawkmoth had finally stepped up his game and akumatized a man who resorted to violence, a man who had caught his wife cheating and had once been to prison who was now out for blood for the home wrecker.

He still remembered the speech, how strong her voice was as he and Chat held her up by her waist. But he also remembered the cracks only they could hear. The quivers in her body from the wounds, the rising of body heat from infections, the sight of tears falling from the pain, the fresh blood on her lip where she bit down from screaming, and the nails that nearly dug into his shoulder as she forced herself to stay sane.

His insomnia was really keen on remembering every detail on some nights where it was a lost cause to get sleep. Having him toss and turn, trying to rid himself of the image of her like that.

He already knew it was Marinette then, didn't need the confirmation and discovered it before the group reveal. What he didn't get was how no one else noticed.

It was the same hair color, same style, hair ties, bluebell eyes, flush of face, cute nose, long eyelashes.

The laugh, voice, frantic care for everyone and their safety.

_How the hell do you miss that?_

He was grateful that the event led to unleashing their full powers after she proclaimed they were ready to lay their lives on the line to protect Paris.

They were granted new powers and abilities, new suit changes and perks, and better appearances to keep their identities hidden.

He refused to think about the long process they all went through with Bunnyx to alter history and keep their identities safe from Hawkmoth during Queen Bee's betrayal. It took a lot of planning and consulting, a lot of people in her burrow-which she did _not_ take kindly to-, the pulling of Master Fu at the last minute to prevent further amnesia but keeping his loss of knowledge the same, and...

_God, it was a mess to think about._

So, Luka was grateful.

Marinette's hair was black and in a long ponytail with a red bow, red streaks and highlights breaking the solid darkness of it all.

Her eyes turned half red and blue, divided by a diagonal cut on the iris but turned full red whenever she was pissed. Tikki and Plagg joked it was because Adrien sometimes didn't get a clue when to quit with the teasing. Her long black lashes brought out the kindness and beauty of them, her mask that was solely a solid red that faded into black around the edges in a gradient manner framed her face nicely. The mask sitting above red glitter highlighter makeup her miraculous modernly gave that ran across her cheekbones and the tip of her nose by a small portion -which everyone teased her for and Luka now saw a gain after hearing about his own button nose-, lips a glossy cherry red and paired nicely with the black eyeliner under red eyeshadow as well.

Her suit became more well fitted as did all their own. Black ran from the neck, across the shoulders and down the side of her arms as well as the insides, leaving a space of cherry red in the middle of them. The same could be said for her legs. Her chest had a bow shape black band stretched across, veins and lines of a wing mockery formed an upside down triangle pattern once under her chest as well, curbing under the breast and giving a mature look that demanded sophistication or sexually charged thoughts from the fans. Her hands were black, gradient change to red that seemed to bleed through, and a faux semblance to black boots that reached to the lateral head of her gastrocnemius muscle of her leg. Though she contained fewer black spots within the red, her suit carried the same theme it always had.

_She's beautiful as Marinette and Ladybug; she's beautiful regardless and always._

He took notice of the red in her eyes now, how they swallowed the blue.

"Chat, buddy, I'd sssay quit while you're ahead."

From across rooftops, they could see Chat pocket his baton and stretch his arms, forming a heart well above his head and leaning on one foot.

"LOVE YOU, BUGABOO!"

"EAT DIRT, YOU PEST."

Their partnership was more..friendly?.. than their relationship.

Nonetheless, her rebuttals always earned a bright smile from the black cat as he saluted her, sharpened canines flashing white at her, and scattered away down to cover the front.

"So, what should be our move of action, Vipey?" Even in this weather he felt warmth fill him in and out, thanking the little gods that granted their powers for the darkening sky to cover his cheeks. He rubbed at his collarbone to the juncture of his neck with gloved knuckles, working passed the little nickname she created just for him and zeroed in on the mark on her that came after they all gained new powers and appearances.

No surprise, it was red. Except in this matter it was a mark that was like a birthmark but glowed. It started from the edge of her mask near her right eye, circling down below her ear and around the back of her neck. She once mentioned she checked to see where else it led and managed to peel the suit back enough to find it rested above her heart, breaking off into little dots that represented ladybugs.

_"Self-doubt and putting others before myself, those are the words that rang in my head and sprouted the mantra to remind myself that they are my weakness."_

Everyone had been frantic to discover theirs that day, never realizing their marks continued on a path to their heart.

Viperion's color scheme never let up on the blues and greens and blacks. His too started the same place as Ladybug's, creating a trail the same place and ending above his heart where it fragmented off into scales. The night when he looked at it, he heard the words "selfless, always sacrificing and insecure" ring in his head repeatedly.

He didn't sleep that night either and told no one of the words.

"I'd sssuggest having me using my core ssstrength and sssnake musssscless to travel alongssside the buildingss to notice obscure pointsss we could be missing, but that usually means you follow me with an arial view and if I'm correct," he walked closer to her, hand reaching for her back between shoulder blades and feeling the webbing of veins to wings that felt stiff. "The weather is getting to them, you can't fly."

She noted the frown for her inconvenience that he expressed, "I can't use my yo-yo either because this entire block is nothing but flat top roofs and no graspable points."

He kicked at the ledge, "No lamppostsss either because this area is ssso well lit from the buildingsss."

"You travel alongside and I bounce from ledges?" She angled herself alongside him, ready to break off.

He scoffed in return, bumping his arm against her shoulder. "Not the bessst tactic we've done, maybe the laziesst, but we don't have much of choiccce I'm guesssing."

She dimpled up at him, "That's the spirit, Vipey!" Rolling her shoulders, she spared a glance before preparing to leap, "Sass, cut the poor kid a break. He's busting his ass off today and he still fed you."

"You think that'll work? I keep getting caught today."

"Aw, poor cutie. Getting stuck on your s's and such. Try it now, see if he forgave you."

"Fine. Don't laugh."

"Me, never?" She gave a scout's honor, grinning devilishly when he narrowed his eyes in a predator style knowing full well her gesture wasn't worth shit.

"Sally sold seashells by the seashore."

"See? Told you. Now, cover me." And like that, she was gone. Leaving him a little breathless and in awe as she smiled so brightly from the adrenaline and freedom.

He followed suit, weaving his way down the sides of buildings and feeling his core work overtime. Viperion wasn't made for as much physical exertion as well as movement in agility for battle. He was made to escape and find his way out, hide in the shadows and observe to make sense of when his power would be needed.

_"Luka, it's fine. We're not asking you to contribute more, and what you do already is more than enough. Your miraculous wasn't made for action like ours, more so my other half of being Ladybug is made for analytical points of views to solve the problem. What's the issue?"_

_"The issue is that I know I can do more. You think I enjoy seeing you," he hesitated the smallest bit of a fraction, "you guys flung into buildings? I hate that. If I'm strong enough out of my suit, then let me see if it's possible to adopt some snake characteristics to help me out in the field."_

She had relented that day, more so concerned of his fate and bringing him closer to danger than she was happy he wanted to help the team in a better way than sidelining it.

Viperion touched the sidewalk before taking a slither stride to the pavement. Scouting possible points of exit from the akuma who currently held a bank hostage with just the employees inside. 

Well, because the pedestrians had been plastered to spare change and stuck inside a large sack.

Ladybug touched ground from a jump, landing by his side and fiddling with the row of black earrings along her cartilage -smart addition to hide the real earrings from brainless akumas.

"What's up, shorty?"

"I found a great vantage point to watch and hit down upon should it happen that he comes out through the entrance." Ladybug tilted her head back to indicate him to follow. He did so, both landing on a ledge with an awning beneath it.

They sat, feet dangling as other member's voices came in and out of their comms. Luka let out a deep sigh.

"What's with you?" She would've never phrase it like that had they'd been in their civilian forms, but the public knew of their friendship, both sides of it.

Luka and Marinette were shipped by those who didn't care for Adrien and loved Luka's small, fashionable and pretty best friend who worked so closely with him and Miraculous Music.

Marinette would've probably said, "are you okay?", something along those lines with that tone of sincere slipping in, while Ladybug held it back.

Anything to try and keep their identities concealed from people making the connection that the famous singer Luka and popular fashion designer Marinette bared a strikingly resemblance to Viperion and Ladybug. It was bad enough how much his fans loved the idea of them together while she was in a relationship. The handsome singer who was secretly sweet on the adorable and short designer.

But their avoidance didn't last long to prevent the possible complications and it was only a matter of time before it managed to leak into their hero selves.

The world wasn't blind, Ladybug was hot now.

And the world wasn't oblivious as all hell, the mere sighting of Viperion was enough to fuel sleepless nights and make one run for some cold showers -as stated in Alya's blog when a short series of photos surfaced of him and Ladybug, to which he avoided the entire team for that day. 

The dreaded photos that showed him with a daring smirk looking down at her with his arms stretched and folded behind his head, one hand reaching to mess up his hair and his pointed lateral incisors shaped like fangs poking out. She had thrown a teasing joke his way and he responded in kind -that liberty and freedom hitting him while in his black and teal new suit. His body was angled towards hers, eyes focused solely on her red and blue ones.

She was no better; impish grin with his small lyre in her hands, peeking through the strings and looking up at him with a hip cocked and the shaking of laughter in her shoulders as she bent slightly forwards -much to the pleasure of obsessed fans. He forgot the joke she made that day, but the second and third picture the owner of the camera had taken was what set the fire and divided their devoted followers.

Viperion had shown a Luka smile; soft, small, sweet. He pulled her into a hug on that chilly night and squeezed her playfully, eyes softening and cheek pressed against the black and red of her hair. He was no doubt muttering how cute he found her -only ever mentioned when they were transformed as of lately, never out of suits-, and he was mentioning in a joking manner if she snapped one of the strings, he'd make her pay for it and replace it.

The threat of his held no malice as they knew it would be nearly impossible to break.

Alya now loves to start Viperion and Chat Noir polls on her blog just for shits and giggles since then, a large amount supporting both boys. Luka apologized profusely to Adrien later that day and all he did was blink, shrug...and waved it off? Looking just as confused as Luka did when he walked away.

Ladybug had nudged his shoulder with hers, "Keep me entertained while we wait for him to come out. What's up?"

He shrugged, "I'm just wondering why someone who broke parole by heading outside the limits to go to a store would then take his anger out and choose to rob a bank, like how does that make sense? How did Sabrina's dad and the dude's parole officer manage to let him escape their custody?"

"The world works in funny ways, best not to dwell on it."

"I guess," he all but mutters. Several seconds pass and she shivers a bit, her miraculous more affected by the cold than he should be as the human embodiment of a cold blooded reptile. He says nothing as she presses closer to him to sedate the chills while he feels like a fire has ruptured inside him. Marinette was always cold in general, even her regular body temp and touch of her hands.

In all honesty? It felt great whenever the two made contact since Luka's body ran hot. It was like they found equilibrium.

His now real eyes were swallowed by black and shaped like slits, remembering he too can see detections of body heat from a distance.

His foot kicked out in annoyance, "Bad news," his voice distributed over the comms, "Remember that huge ass inflatable ball we took on our beach trip?"

Ryuko's voice carried over, "The one Adrien popped, yes."

"I said I was sorry, didn't I?"

Carapace was quick to jump in, "That doesn't fix a ruined school video project though, does it?"

"Guys," Viperion cut in, "This guy is at least 1/4 the size of it, but his sack with his victims is as big as that beach ball."

"...Oh," was the only response supplied. The collection of thoughts could almost be heard from everyone as they tried to assess a possible take down with the limited information presented to them.

"He has five clear minded lackeys and partners with him," his snake vision casted a pink color on those akumatized, and a purple on the akumatized assailant.

He felt Ladybug grow rigid next to him, "Everyone, proceed with caution from here on out. Any damage taken from those working willingly will not be cured by the miraculous's purification."

They had learn the hard way how the purification could end up lacking towards their finished battles.

Had they sustained any injuries that stemmed from the akumatized victim -such as even those affected by the branching of power or accidents related to Hawkmoth's doing, well they'd be fine after the battle. Their fight against Paris resulted in their new and evil abilities causing a car to fall on someone and effectively killing them? Can be fixed. Someone is punched by the hive mind the akuma controls? That forming bruise is gone.

It was any third parties who could work around Ladybug's power. Most of the time, it was those who were or once criminals. Almost always someone angry and violent.

Hawkmoth must've seen one hero get hurt by an outside force and not be healed; he pulled out all the stops and would find ways to enlist their help knowing each miraculous holder couldn't recover after battle, that they wouldn't be healed from the purification because it wasn't connected to the akuma.

Marinette had always been good at makeup -though Luka wanted to protest she never needed it- but after her senior year she studied tutorials religiously and everyone followed her request in coming with her during certain intervals in time and buying concealer and foundation that matched their tone exactly. They sat in front of her post battles and assessed the damage done that was visible, then applied the best color corrector and then the makeup to blend and they seemed okay.

If Luka was being honest, it made him worry more for the injuries she was hiding or whether she took on dangerous missions by herself.

"He's out of the vault," Ladybug whispered. They stood, the receding sun casting a shadow over them. Viperion's eyes switched back to a normal teal with black instead of white in a lesser version of predator mode. He felt the squeeze of his gloved fingers from Marinette rather than Ladybug before the red and black heroine slipped away from him.

_Stay safe, stay okay._

He remembered the first time she did that, before her announcement to Paris. He had just returned home two weeks prior, having spent two years touring with Jagged with some brief visits back to his city.

_The akuma was headed their way and the full group had no choice but to form strategic planning in the mist of fighting now that they were seen._

_The younger Ladybug called out orders and Luka could see the fear behind the mask, behind the stoic battle face she wore._

_He was about to walk off with Rena Rouge so Viperion could tell her the ways to form her mirage after learning each tip they needed after Second Chance. He could help her adjust before she created it, offer information that could help her picture what was needed._

_Ladybug caught his hand when everyone was leaving, seemingly surprised herself at the sudden action. Her confusion was more apparent than her original intent and she almost drew her hand back._

_Instead her small grasp tightened on his fingers where she had hold of him, squeezing lightly and meeting his eyes._

" _Stay safe, stay okay." Was all she could bring herself to speak._

_"You too."_

He said it in the depths of his mind that was allowed to enjoy touching her and nearly acting with her for the sake of his career.

Viperion crouched low, moving so his weight seemed lighter as he slipped onto the awning canopy and crawled in the dark towards the wall of the building. His hands braced tight against the stone as he reached sideways, then maneuvered his body so he was upside down and seemingly close to the rough surface. His hand had pushed so he was on the pads of his fingers, the tips of his feet angled and pressed down. He felt the core of his stomach pull as he propelled himself forwards at a frightening speed, moving like the snake he was disguised as, while his movements felt slow and tranquil in his eyes.

His hood fell forwards on top his hair, resembling a lesser form of the head of a cobra. The shade it casted on his face covered the top half, leaving his nose and mouth visible while his eyes seemed to glow.

He slinked his way by Ladybug, the heroine almost jumping in shock from his sudden appearance. It had taken the majority of them to get used to Viperion's stealth and quiet movements.

The scaled hero leaned into her space to glance at her yo-yo screen that held rooftop aerial views, fingers moving the screen to display a holographic image in front of them.

"He's near the entrance," Ladybug muttered, allowing Viperion to nudge her near the side of the building. They stood close, less than a few inches away as he peered into the large set of windows with an air of discretion. Luka breathed in annoyance as his mind tossed and turned. "You going to tell me what's actually on your mind now?" He looked down at her, about to protest her thoughts of there being an issue when gave him a pointed look. "If you thought I bought your concern over the akuma's choice of actions, I must not be that great of a best friend like I assumed I was."

She was teasing, of course, but Luka's heart seized thinking how awful that trail of thought was to have.

Another sigh, he tore his gaze away from hers and kept watch as she started to monitor the different shots. His chest deflated, "It's nothing. Just today, ya know?"

"Mm," she hummed, switching to Carapace's feed. "Right, and this has nothing to do with you being stressed from it, huh? Or you hating the Mosaic in general?"

A flinch, "That obvious, is it?"

She shrugged, one hand coming to brush her hair from her shoulder. "Just to me, I don't think anyone else noticed." She was painfully aware how much he hated the last show from the year before, behind his bright smile was disappointment and regret. Today was no different, with stressed added on top now that he was handling more business affairs and his solo career was ever so more popular than before after the cover music video teaser a few months ago dropped. "Wanna have another impromptu deep conversation in the throes of danger?"

His tongue played at each snake bite piercing the miraculous suit came with, then running it along his fangs.

"It's not about the music or the art. That's all." His weight fell to the side of the building, "I'm just tired of the goal being more publicity related and not what these talented people can put out there. I think dad's kinda gotten lost in his way and he won't hear it from me if I try to speak up." Ladybug's eyes darted between watching their group's cameras to gauging Luka's expressions despite seeing only the bottom half and his waiting predator eyes. "I sing because I want to sing. I sing because I know someone out there can relate to my songs, my take on the covers I do, my choice of music, my tone and emotions. Sometimes, I miss the boat performances. Just us before we became something, made a life for ourselves and reached success. I know it's selfish, I get that, I just, I want the art and emotion for tonight, but I doubt we'll get that."

"Vipey," she tried before he backed away from her.

"He's coming out now." Round teal eyes turned towards her, narrowing into slits as he stepped further back and away. "I'll scale the side of the building and try to cast the snake charm."

"Right, I'll round up his buddies." He turned around sharply, the look Viperion gave her was all Luka, "What?"

He tried to relax the tightness of his jaw when he felt his fangs digging into the underside of his bottom lip, "Nothing. Just, just stay safe."

It wasn't his job to fret over her safety and well being, that fell to Adrien, and Luka was struggling to find the clear line between friends and something more with their ever growing connection.

He turned his back to her while he distantly felt that in some other life, he would've kissed her and felt her lips press back to his in a promise to come back to him well and happy.

_Was it her? Was it even him?_

Probably just a far fetched fantasy.

He wasn't too sure he felt the powers of the snake miraculous coursing through his veins though, it felt different.

It had been happening over the course of the last few months to him; a twitchy feeling in his head and then he felt like he was elsewhere for a split second, trying to grab onto a distorted image and an unidentifiable smell, trying to make sense of a mirage of emotions. And then it would be gone as soon as it came.

It was the third time it happened in two months and a half.

He nearly growled at the frustration of not having enough time to have a clearer picture, hand placed to the brick siding with one freely behind him. He took a slow breath before he was scaling the building faster than a normal person could do, faster than any of the miraculous holders could.

As fast as a snake aiming to kill.

True to their observation, Monsior Voleur -as he loudly proclaimed to be named- stumbled out the front, heavy steps and slow paced.

"....did he just say _Monsior Voleur?",_ came over the comms.

"What a fucking dumbass name." Rena scoffed, "I'm headed back now, it'll take a minute because I had citizens to escort to safety."

"Maybe I should just work in cahoots with Hawkmoth, I feel like he and I would be gods at puns."

"Chat, Kitty, I will not hesitate to kick your ass if you suggest that again."

"Oh, I just _love_ when you pull the claws out, my buganette." He purred in response, a low rumbling noise with crackles.

"That's kinda kinky though..", Viperion saw the frightened look she shot him in surprise from the top of the building. He snorted, feeling lighter by a little and supplying her with a wave of dismissal as he trekked his way downwards behind the enemy.

"Viperion, you better shut your mouth before I tie your tongue in knots."

He found solid footing on the pavement, making eye contact with her from across the street. His lip quirked upwards as a suppressed personality once again bubbled to the surface while in suit.

"Is that a promise?" He asked with a full grin, sending her a wink and a quick scan as he disappeared from view in a cloud of Rena's illusion.

Ladybug blinked then exhaled sharply, shaking her head and began to wind her yo-yo as annoyance filled her, as well as a bout of fluster.

"Stupid pretty handsome boys, stupid perfect teeth with pointed edges, stupid pretty eyes, stupid _flirts."_ She gritted out, black and red multi device reaching high peaks each time before shortening length when it bounded back towards the ground.

"We missed that over the sound of one of the lackeys screaming, what'd you say?" Ryuko could be seen half the ways over, near Viperion who was trading and receiving punches and kicks from an apparent experienced follower to the akuma.

Cheeks burning, she pressed out a "nothing", making work to bind the four who weren't as competent like the one Viperion was dealing with who was trained in martial arts.

As the asshole proudly proclaimed with a series of unnecessary flips.

"You know, this takes me back to history. When we learned about that assassination of that one, damn, who was it?"

"Believe his name was Lincoln, Carapace. And I know exactly what you're talking about right now." Ladybug supplied, pulling the string taut the more they squirmed.

She handed her yo-yo off to Rena, Viperion's voice coming over her comm.

"Care to indulge us on American history then, doll?" His voice sounded tired and overexerted, panting harshly.

The one downside for being a miraculous holder who is meant to operate in the shadows, and here he was doing just as much work -if not more- as everyone else.

"Why? Because all of you sucked at it your last year of school?" She supplied cockily, saying "lucky charm" in an aggravated tone as she dodged another printed check ball tossed her way, meant to turn her into one of serval coins the rather large man carried. She held her lucky charm, a set of rolled coins in a wrapper, before picking up the now useless check that was written to change her. "10€? Are you fucking joking?"

"What? What's wrong?" Chat supplied as he vaulted overhead, trying to find where they akuma was hiding on its victim.

"I'm at least worth 20€!" She huffed, tossing it behind her and letting her vision switch to find how to use the lucky charm as Rena cackled somewhere on the other side.

"Glad to know you have such confidence, girl."

"Thing 5 is taken care of," Viperion grumbled out, Ladybug catching him kick at the limp body that was knocked out. "Of all days, of all people, of course."

"Poor baby," Ladybug teased, seeing the playfully annoyed smirk he sent her way. "Would you feel better if I gave that history lesson then, one that you'll retain no information of whatsoever?"

"Beautiful, have I ever failed you?" He placed a hand to his chest, blood trailing down his lip and above his eyebrow, a bruise forming here and there with some cuts littered around.

Chat perked up, landing near the snake. "How about that time you burned the popcorn on our group movie night?"

"If I remember correctly, you're the one who told me it was five minutes to cook, not two."

"And is it my fault you bought that?"

Carapace took over Viperion's left side, "Not that I'm taking sides, but it was around the time where your chat was slipping into your civilian form so we all actually thought it was five minutes. Now we don't trust your words for shit, man."

Chat wailed in displeasure over being betrayed by his best friend, "Fine, I believe m'lady was about to teach us a thing or two?"

"Depends, you three gonna shut up while I concentrate by rambling?"

They all stared at her in wonder before Chat excitedly gasped, "Ohh, that's why you were always rambling and stuttering way back then, because you were concentrating on something!"

Viperion and Carapace looked so disappointed that Ladybug almost laughed.

"Well, that's not why. Anyways, way back whenever the fuck, there was this president and this guy didn't agree with him freeing the slaves of the south so he set out to kill him. What people don't talk about all that much is that there was this whole little assassination group and they were meant to kill different members who worked with him. They basically all failed and only Lincoln's assassinator has actually done his job. Hence, Carapace's connection to Viperion's martial arts guy."

"...That was the shortest form of cliff notes I've ever heard."

"Glad to be of service," she remarked, "Fucking finally."

Char leaned in his baton, "Finally figured it out? Because Rena's been running her illusion for awhile and I don't think he's gonna buy the grocery market being another bank."

Viperion was winding his shoulder, pained look on his face and stifling a yawn, "I don't get how he thinks those doors are real when he literally has blood on his hands from hitting brick, but that's just me."

"You guys done distracting me? Because I need you three right now."

"Not exactly how I imagined this conversation going down in my dreams, didn't expect these two to be in the mix either, but I'll take it."

"You'll take a beating if you don't shut the hell up, cat boy." She replied in a threatening tone, pointing to the top of a building and which ledge to stand on.

"Oh how you excite me, bugaboo." He winked, moving in motion. Carapace followed her guidance and rested on a knee, back turned to her while Viperion braced himself, pulling his hood back up.

His right hand moved to his left wrist, pulling at a scale only located in the one are that was shaped like a guitar pick. He pulled at the lyre behind his back, plucking some strings until the globe in stripes turned towards him, attention directed towards him.

"You think anyone has told this guy he looks fat in stripes?"

Ladybug pressed roughly at her comm, glaring up at the cat. "One mission, just one mission is all I'm asking for without your idiotic puns."

She was waiting for the perfect moment, when the breeze would roll in again and Viperion gathered enough strength.

Today involved so much on field play, usually they were all able to retreat to a rooftop in turns to catch a breath. And usually Viperion and Ladybug, the two analytical and tactic fighters, were often together in their breaks.

Right around now, Viperion would've been back to back with her, or body slumped with his head on her shoulder, taking a quick nap because he was the one to tire out the easiest due to not being made for the battle field work.

"Don't get too close m'lady, I'm afraid he might _steal_ you away from me!"

"God dammit," she rumbled low into the comms, feeling the cold wind hit her back as she shouted the go ahead.

Viperion was quick in his movements to tuck the lyre away as he took off in a darting sprint, bouncing off Carapace's shield, scale pick slipping from between his fingers as he flung it, "Scale strike!"

Ladybug timed it perfectly, watching as the sack tore open and throwing the roll of coins at Carapace's shield as it bounced off and rolled under the enemy's feet, flipping several spaces back as he slipped and fell, Chat free-falling as he pulled out his baton, waiting at her command.

"It's the pen behind his ear! He's been signing checks with it and must've slipped the note written by it to the bank teller before being akumatized!"

The cat held the baton with one hand, throwing it with precision to hit the oversized pen as he landed on his feet.

Viperion ran quick, each criminal getting two finger pricks against their neck to with a faux low blood pressure effect, inducing a fainting spell from all and tossing her yo-yo back at her.

The akuma was released, getting caught the second Ladybug held her weapon in hand and let the purified butterfly go, waving tiredly with a, "Fuck you, Hawkmoth."

"Remember when you used to go ' _Bye-bye, little butterfly'_? Or like, did we just ditch that?" Chat questioned, resting his elbow on her head as she blew at her bangs angrily.

"I was like, 14, cut me some slack." Swatting his arm away, "And there's no one here to listen to me swear so, no children around? No kiddy talk."

"It was cute," Viperion said, hands on his knees and panting from the lack of a break. He glanced at the now normally sized overweight man, the broken pen, and the littered coins. "Slipped a note, damn, maybe stop watching so many crime shows?"

She burned, "You guys said that about anime too! What did you think I would do after going cold turkey on anime?"

Both boys raised their hands in surrender, "We just didn't want you getting too far ahead of us in _Demon Slayer_!"

"I was not-,"

"You were, by six episodes, don't lie."

Her eye twitched, turning red for a brief moment before throwing up the roll of coins with an apathetic "miraculous ladybug" in the driest tone in the world.

They watched her stalk off as soon as Raincomprix and his buddies showed up, Carapace leaning forwards, "You think she's pissed now that she knows she could've been binging anime this entire time?"

"Oh yeah, no definitely." Chat laughed, hands behind his head as he leisurely walked before she decided when it was time to leap from rooftops again.

Rena turned on her heels, "We better hurry, believe that heartthrob Luka Couffaine is preforming with his mysterious Melody in a bit."

"Gotta love the simplicity of a musicians life, man."

"I hate all of you."


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Highly recommend y'all whip out the Lukanette playlist for this jazz (Chapter 3 & 4). 
> 
> Playlist:  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Z32vNXRl7nIyJInDdQcb6?si=0TR9_ynES621J2VSd_uFFw
> 
> Songs in this chapter: "If This Is What Love Is" by Lights Follow

He watched her pace back and forth from her makeup work station to a standing sealable crate bin that held his clothes, hanging off a rod with a fold-able lid.

His tall and larger form felt small under the overwhelming bubble of stress she exerted. Slinking further into his seat of hers that he occupied the most out of anyone in their agency, he wondered -and not for the first time- if it was too much for her to be his stylist as well as a consulting one to Miraculous Music.

' _When all else fails, go to Marinette._ '

It was a popular saying among the business heads. Whether it was for album covers, costumes, appearances, music videos and themes, you go to her. She was gifted artistically and with the ability to envision the perfect picture to whatever was needed.

She was tapping an eyeliner pencil to the palm of her hand repeatedly, making her hundredth pass by him when he leaned forwards, her name about to slip from his lips. She faced him, a kind smile gracing her features as she pointed the pencil at him with an airy laugh.

"I'm fine, don't worry."

"You sure?"

"This has nothing to do with you and me being your stylist, I see the guilty look already." She made her point by gesturing with the eyeliner around her face then pointed at his. "I'm just trying to formulate this idea I have for something else. I'll do it while I get you ready though."

"Right," he replied. He didn't know what she could be thinking of or trying to create inside that pretty head of hers, but he stood up when she beckoned him with the tilt of her head and let her shove a sealed bag of his solo career performance outfit into his arms.

She turned back to the bin and quickly retrieved worn chuck Taylor converse, glancing around the room to notice if it was empty after briefly remembering that she finally relented and dragged them both into an available green room. Backstage in the open area was littered with new talent and media craving reporters with passes. The last thing the two needed was early released photos of Luka Couffaine getting ready at an exclusive event and her transforming herself into Melody, a singer and partner to Luka that was more mysterious than he was. There was close to nothing about her on the internet that disregarded her work.

Melody was more of a liberating mask than Ladybug was.

"This is my outfit?"

"Yeah, get dressed." She replied, bringing a first aid kit out as she turned around. He hummed in response, making quick work to strip himself of flannel and hoodie with shirt, peeling off his jeans in the process and standing there in just dark navy boxers.

Being his stylist meant the two got very used to having Luka half-naked as they had him measured for outfits and adjustments, were stripping him of whatever he was wearing to quickly switch an outfit, and toying with different appearances for his image.

Still, her fingers gripped the vanity table behind her as her eyes ran over his well defined figure and squeezed shut to remind herself she had a boyfriend.

Speak of the devil.

He walked in after a short knock, Luka in the process of jumping into dark skinny jeans that were ripped this time. Adrien strolling by her and playing with an idle brush that sat on the table's surface.

"Hey, Kitty."

"Princess, pleasure as always."

"You need something?"

"Ah, yeah that. He's going on after that new girl group's set that's after the sneak peek for that new action movie." He looked at her and considered her appearance, "I'd say that gives you forty minutes, you are coming on after his first cover song right?"

"Yeah, he doesn't need me for that. But while I get ready when he leaves, do me a favor and call Jagged in?"

"Sure, whatever you need." He looked towards Luka, "So just more slightly damaged jeans, huh?"

The grin was sheepish, "Yeah, guess so." He moved to grab at a belt hanging from the rod loosely and loop it through his jean's waistline before a previously distracted Marinette-lost in her thoughts- rushed over to him and yanked the belt.

"This is why I'm the one who dresses you, Couffaine." She bit out as the professional designer persona took over, tossing the strip of leather and checking over the jeans and converse as he stood shirtless in front of her, him shooting a look to Adrien who just watched with bored interest and sneaking a gummy worm. He turned his attention to her in time to see her roll her eyes and grip his jean's waistline, shifting it downwards. Her fingers brushed over his skin and he made a startled noise in the back of his throat before she stepped back gave him a once over. "I know you hate it, but don't forget we're trying to get you into Paris's top magazine for the hottest singer title and cover page."

"What'd you do?" Adrien asked, throwing a gummy worm from a distance at Plagg who cheated and flew in its direction.

She looked innocently at him with her body turned in his direction but still facing Luka's side. She gave him a skeptical look as her fingers traced along Luka's skin to explain her point, "V line?"

He fought back a shiver that threatened to wreck his entire posture, "This is embarrassing."

He missed hiding behind his Kitty Section mask sometimes because he wasn't expected to have this image as much when he was Siren on stage.

But the upside to the suffering was having her hands and eyes on him even if it was for a few moments. Luka Couffaine wasn't a dumb rockstar kid by any means, he knew to take what he got with a smile and air of being oblivious, never asking for more.

In all honesty, Marinette considered him the smartest one as a person out of the entire group.

"Yeah well, maybe you shouldn't wipe your face with the front of your shirt next time and show the entire audience that you're not some lanky tall guy. Once they saw those muscles, Jesus Christ."

Adrien laughed, speaking around a mouthful of candy. "I've never heard girls scream so loud, and I pose close to naked for a living."

Luka shoved the zip up onto his upper half, zipping it up and shooting them both an annoyed look. He rolled his eyes when Marinette tugged the zipper down to rest open in the center of his chest.

"Leave it like this for now."

"For now?"

"Later, I'll explain later. Shut your whiny mouth and get your ass in that seat before I make you. In case you forgot, I have to get myself ready as well for a surprised Melody appearance."

"Bossy," Adrien muttered, "I should head out, I still have more interviewers to cater to. See you guys on stage." He waved off.

The entire time Adrien had been there, he had been trying to figure out why they looked so naturally close and like they were the ones together. Why he didn't hold any ill feelings to it when he knew very well Luka used to be his rival for Marinette's heart.

_Fuck inexplainable thoughts and emotions, bring back the jealousy I'm supposed to feel. Bring back the feeling of being in love._

*

"I want to run something by you," she started, sitting on the table. He looked up at her as he gently moved his chair side to side, nodding once as he leaned forwards, holding to the handles and offering an encouraging smile in a childish manner.

"Yeah?"

"So, normally I would clean your wounds and cover them," she said, hands moving as she spoke. "You know, since you take on the unaffected ones most of the time and are more prone to walk away with injuries than the rest of us."

"Right."

"But this time, this?" She pointed to his face, "This is perfect for your image. Just like the album's portrayal of you. The cut above your eyebrow, the busted skin on your bottom lip near the corner, the bruise under your eye and jaw, scratches littered and the spread of blood splatters already on you? God, it's perfect." She sighed, eyes revealing a deep adoration and fascination for his appearance.

He swallowed thickly, gripping the seat and reclined back a bit to calm himself.

"Oh, shit, I mean artistically! It's perfect artistically! I mean, not that your face isn't perfect. It's always been perfect and," she shut herself up and blinked, "Um, how about I just get you ready?"

He still smiled at her nonetheless, heart pounding relentlessly against his chest and forcing down the heat in his cheeks. "Okay."

He wasn't worried, she knew what she was doing and he wasn't at risk for infection with the rate of healing being a miraculous holder provided.

He glanced down when he heard a whine, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just wish I could've dragged the blood down more near your mouth." She replied, back turned to him and picking up the eyeliner again to lightly trace onto his eyes to accentuate the cerulean blues.

"Oh, here," he supplied, wincing when he pinched at the skin and opened the cut.

"Luka!" She scolded with worry, small hands leaning his head forwards for a few seconds to let it trail before tilting his head back up. She handed him a tissue to lightly hold over the cut. "You shouldn't have done that."

"I'm fine, Mari. Really. I need that title in that magazine and the publicity needs pictures for news articles so Kitty Section's next album sells well."

She eyed him skeptically, "You're really okay?" She moved behind him to muss up his hair for the sex appeal he was required to have.

"Yes, I'm fine." As his last words left, he felt the shift in his head and a clearer image leaked through.

_"Wouldn't it look better if I had some blood dripping down to my chin?" He turned to her, eyes trusting and innocently questioning her. She responded with a hum that acted as a balm to his nerves._

_She leaned over him in his seat, small hands holding his jawline as she titled his head upwards and kissed him hungrily, sucking on his bottom lip until he felt a sting and the taste of metallic._

_He couldn't find it in himself to care though, both already well acquainted with the taste of blood from their own injuries and rushed 'thank god, you're okay' mission kisses. He growled with a bleeding pout as she moved away from him, his lips trying to chase after hers one more time._

_Instead, she laughed lightly and ran a thumb over his cheek and kissed his button nose, "I'm just doing my job, love."_

"Luka?" He felt the shift fade and his senses realign back to normality. Eyes glanced up to meet her deep blue ones and he swallowed to see that her expression held something he had seen on whatever fantasy based dream he had that seemed so very real.

"Nerves. I'm done right? I can go?" He rushed, standing up and wiping his sweaty palms, backpedaling it towards the door so he can escape and catch a breather.

_What the fuck was that._

He was annoyingly used to the distortion and fleeting sounds and senses, but now that felt entirely too close to be a dream or forbidden thought he often had to compensate for the fact that she got away.

 _If I had stayed that one night..,_ he started to antagonize over before her voice cut through his thoughts.

"Yeah, um, you're good." She said, giving him a concerned look as she moved to unbutton her blouse while he stood on the opposite side of the door, unaware he was still looking at her. "Just send Jagged my way if you see him on your way out." She said with her head down and body to the side, speaking louder to indicate she did not in fact know Luka was still present and could very well see the faint hint of a pale blue and black laced bra cup.

He slammed the door and high tailed it out of there when unprompted visuals of him with an unzipped sweatshirt on the couch in the green room floated through, her on top of him with her blouse unbuttoned fully and hanging off her arms as she titled her head back for him and his thumb traced the lace lining.

The teasing whispers of his sex hair the image of her said to him sounded so incredibly real.

"What the fuck." He supplied, running a hand through his messy hair. He needed his guitar to calm himself down.

*

A tentative knock sounded at the door and Jagged was face to face with Melody: a small and petite girl with platinum blonde hair and black highlights that blended perfectly together and contrasted nicely with her black eyebrows and blue eye. She done a Smokey eyed look to keep it simple, contoured her nose to appear thinner than her own and donned a black laced fabric masquerade mask with pink claw marks scratching along one eye that was equally pink.

It played off Luka's appearance as Siren and helped to conceal her identity, she was only known as a girl of mystery who appeared when Luka's solo work involved a duet or backings, or simply a feminine touch he couldn't do himself, and she disappeared when it was all up to him.

"Mari, my dear, you asked to see me?" Jagged humored her, leaning against the vanity as she made work to paint the pink fluorescent ends of the claw marks onto her cheek bone. He cowered when he saw her turn around briskly.

"Fabian Francis Stone, tell me why I'm not pleased." She bit out, gripping the handles to the seat to suppress her anger.

He refused to meet her eyes, the grown man still very much like a child in some aspects especially after hearing his legitimate name only less than a handful knew.

"You're going to have to help me, dear," he grinned sheepishly.

The silk of her black robe shifted, eyes narrowing. "Asking for my help entails the need for me to lay it on thick for you, can you handle that?" By no means was she afraid of the man who adored her like she was his own daughter despite already having kids himself.

He relented, smile dropping and body caving in on itself. "You might as well so I can start figuring out ways to beg and grovel for your forgiveness."

"Okay," she started slowly, "You're aware that besides your daughter, your son -who may I remind you that you appointed as president of Miraculous Music-, Luka, is the lead guitarist and male vocalist to Kitty Section, as well as a self branded and famous solo career artist -occasionally accompanied by me but that's besides the point-, you're aware of this right?" She pressed, eyeing him as he struggled to figure the issue.

"Yes? What's wrong with that?"

She dropped her head to her hands, a silk robe she wore before she changed, shifting against the leather chair. "Jagged, you're aware that he and I spend most of our times either discussing business in his office or mine, or in the dance studio feeding the media dance cover, right?" A nod. "And you know he's also in the recording studios for both himself and as Siren?" Another confirmation.

 _"_ Where are you going with this?"

"I think I know him best at times given the amount of time we spend together," Oh, she did. It's why Jagged _coincidentally_ paired their times together. He liked Adrien well enough but if he wasn't sure as hell his son and the girl he almost adopted on the spot weren't meant to be together...

"So trust me when I say, you can't keep doing this to him."

He blinked, "What does that mean?"

"You need me to explain? Your kid is running himself thin! He's got insomnia, which I'm sure Annie has told you about being his father and all. He's exhausted and needs a break after this, but he'll probably be focusing on work for tomorrow as well. He's becoming a workaholic without the satisfaction of being one. " She looked back to complete her makeup, "You can't spring surprise performances on him as well, it's not fair to either of us." She could see the guilt course through him, it was always apparent in Luka's family. "I'm not telling you this to be mean, I just don't want him to hit a wall or have a breakdown. And you need to remember he's your son and friend, not some object for the media."

She didn't expect Jagged to say anything, the man only sat in silence as she worked her appearance, letting him process her words. It let her know he was considering all the things she said and how to fix them.

"You're right, Mar. I'll clear his schedule after tonight, he has been looking a little rough around the edges."

She mused, "And that's saying something considering he's a rockstar."

Jagged's laugh was bright and happy she was okay with him now, forgiving him in her own subtle way. "Exactly." He straightened, "Did you need me for anything else?"

"Oh my god, yes. I forgot." She spun around to face him. "I need you to talk to the dance instructor, Mali, and get her five best female interpretive dancers. Then I need you to purchase five of my wigs they're selling at the merchandise table, sets of black outfits and converse, black baseball caps and black face masks."

"Jesus, that's a lot of black, it'd make Jules blush."

"Jagged," she gave a stern tone, watching as he whipped his phone out and dialed Penny, relaying the message back to her along with Marinette's promise of a free lunch with her in return.

 _"_ Done, what's this for now?" He pocketed his phone, back resting against the wall as she walked behind a divider curtain to change. At times he truly felt like family with the girl and protective of her, handing her a dark navy blue mini dress that was left on the couch while his eyes checked over his nails.

"Luka said something to me about the mosaic."

 _"_ Am I to assume he's got an issue?"

"He says it's not genuinely about the music and feel of it, the creativity and art." Jagged tilted his head some, considering the weight of the words and slight accusation.

"No, yeah I see where he's coming from. I don't know how I didn't realize it either." He turned when he heard her step away from the curtain, checking over her figure protectively like a father and relenting with a shake of his head and a slight smile. "Wish it was looser and longer given the males out there who love Melody, but you still look beautiful, dear."

She grinned up at him, right dimple visible as a light blush coated her cheeks. She smoothed the rising stretchy fabric of the bodycon dress, tugging it down back further over her thighs and pulling the front up more. The few inches of the off shoulder sleeves bothered her for the idea she envisioned in the makeshift outfit, but she seemingly rolled with it.

Well, had to roll with it.

Compensating by grabbing a black zip up hoodie with all black. A white and small decal adorned the left side of the chest area besides the zipper of Kitty Section's logo. The back said "SIREN" in white across the top where the shoulder blades rested, a number 12 to represent his birth month underneath.

She designed the simple hoodie, nearly losing her shit when the band argued about what to put for numbers under their stage names considering Luka and Ivan were the only ones born in a different year -as Ivan was the oldest in class and missed the due date by two months for an earlier grade- and Juleka and Rose were within the same year, clashing the theme. Eventually deciding birth months were the best since no one had the same within their small band.

Marinette always figured Luka had to have been born in the summer, only to find out he was a winter baby that, like Ivan, missed the due date to go to school with people older than him by a few days to a year. Making him the youngest in his grade when attending school.

Ironic since he was always the oldest in their friend group.

Ironic since Luka hated the cold as much as she did -arguing that he only tolerated it for her when ice skating.

She struggled with the high top converse, complaining she would someday twist her ankle out of place trying to get it in and out, before standing and looking over her girly tomboy stage outfit.

"Very Melody of you," Jagged mused, staring into the mirror behind her.

"Isn't it?" She asked, voice coming out in a more slow and half an octave lower to conceal her voice, a smirk tugging the edge of her lip and showing unlike how Mari usually hid it.

The musician threw his head back with a laugh, hands clasped behind his back and one foot kicking out slightly. "God, I love when you do that. It's too funny."

"Aw, you hurt my feelings, Stone." Her icy flirtatious tone only made him cackle as she settled into her stage persona. His phone chimed with Penny's text tone and Mari slipped through the cracks, wringing her hands nervously.

"Might as well see if this works?" She tried, Jagged edged towards the door, raising his hand to his face and dropping it in a move that screamed ' _Switch to her'_ , just as he opened the door and the dancers walked in with clothes in hand.

*

Luka stared absently at the floor near the curtain to the stage, hands sliding up and down the strap of his guitar.

Thoughts were too messy to focus on as they jumped from the fight earlier, to Mari's cryptic hints of their performance, to those weird fantasies that slipped through into his reality.

Just as the thought skimmed his mind, another quickly flashed through of Marinette standing with him backstage and waiting to go on.

He didn't feel the rush of nervousness like he always did despite knowing he was good at what he did. Instead, he felt the giddy sense of happiness and adrenaline that shot through him.

Seeing let go of his hands and hold his face instead, nose scrunching against his as she hyped him up with loving words of encouragement and a confident smirk before she kissed his nose.

His phone vibrating in his pocket shocked him out of the day dream, finding his nose buzzing with an residual feeling of her lips.

_Really fucking need sleep._

He whipped his cellphone out briefly, glancing down to see it was Marinette who texted him.

 **Shorty:** I can't meet you before your first song like I thought, but I'll be there for ours.

He frowned at that.

 **Luka:** Everything ok?

 **Shorty:** Ofc, just finishing up last minute plans.

He made work to send a reply back, doing something to occupy his rattling mind, before she beat him to it.

 **Shorty:**....  
 **Shorty:** You'll do great, Vipey. Don't sweat it and take a few breaths to calm yourself down.

He laughed when she sent a gif of a _Demon Slayer_ character getting annoyed with a bored look, lined between his brows to express his displeasure.

 **Shorty:** Me when your dad asks when I plan to bring macrons to the office again.

 **Luka:** Thanks, Mar. I needed that.

He pocketed his phone when he was introduced over the speakers and the girls started to scream, thankful for the ear piece as he shook the nerves from his body -paying no mind to his muscles and bones that wanted to scream at him for not reason post fight. He made way to the microphone standing in the center of stage, almost rolling his eyes at the screen behind him of different pictures where he looked his best or like a model, wishing they didn't involve short videos in the collage as well.

He gave an easy smile, "Glad to see you're all still amped for music after that fight." He clenched his teeth together during his smile when obnoxious laughter echoed the room from his accidental pun. Scanning to see a variety of people sitting at round tables on different levels throughout the expanse of the building's floor. Luka felt the relief rush through him when the lights dimmed significantly.

_These people aren't the real fans of music, they're here for media and the publicity._

_How cliché._

"Well, I suppose since it's my job and I get paid, and you all ventured here with such fancy outfits, that I should sing a song then?" He let a meaningless laugh ripple through him as they shouted agreements, women swooning a little too audibly for his deep laugh and not understanding the meaning behind it. "Well, who am I to keep you waiting then?"

Slinging the guitar around and doing a quick check, he winked to the audience with a half smile and twirled the pick between fingers artistically before bringing his hand close to play the intro.

" _Love is a tight rope over a black hole_  
 _Where the cold wind blows beside you_  
 _Just when you think you got a handle_  
 _You've fallen in"_

God, if he could be elsewhere right now and finally sleep or play for people who genuinely did want to hear his music, he could die content with life.

_"Love is a dark horse, an innuendo_   
_But you'd never see her come through the front door_   
_Just before you noticed someone was out there_   
_She's broken in"_

His body shifted to the chorus, stepping backwards once and ever so mindful of the standing mic that couldn't move with him.

_"If this is what love is_   
_If this is what love is_   
_If this is what love is_   
_Someone else can have it"_

He wanted the old days back where the talent agency didn't exist, where he was spending all his time after school playing with the band and letting the only responsible person in his life berate him on the phone late into the night as he did his homework while falling asleep, laughing as Mari screeched his name to wake up and letting her correct his bad habit a few months later.

"Oh I don't wanna need it  
I don't wanna know"

He knew he was singing all the right words, even as he tuned in and out of the song passing his lips.

" _Love is a stranger under a black robe_  
 _Where a cold hand rolls behind you_  
 _Just before you notice something was broken_  
 _She's walking out"_

He wondered quietly how many people thought the story behind this choice of song was for the literal meaning of it.

_"Love is a sickness on all the poor souls_   
_Riding on the coat tails of all these chemicals_   
_Everybody feels so alive_   
_Till the chemicals run dry"_

His pick hand left the strings for a second to raise slightly, the only art he would put up with showing if this damn mosaic wasn't doing to bother as well. He didn't even care about singing as he tuned out the rest of the time, body on autopilot as he knew to throw the occasional look to the pitch black darkness as a sign of connecting with the fans.

He hadn't been aware of when he finished the song until his hand stopped playing and he could finally breathe normally again. Placing a smile on his tanned face and slinging the guitar back in its original position where he could grip the strap to keep himself grounded and not letting him scream out.

He thanks the audience with as much warmth as he could muster, failing to notice girls dressed in black coming up and into the corner near the curtains.

Luka barely had time to register the next song to come up until he heard the first line and saw best friend's alter ego walk confidently across stage.

His eyes imperceptibly skimmed her attire, heat engulfing his cheeks and tips of his ears as his eyes darkened and he saw past the laced masquerade mask and wig.

Just seeing Marinette.

_"Could tell you what you wanna hear,"_

His heart raced and pulse quickened when he found himself falling her lead without a hint of hesitation or sign of being uncertain.

_Finally, some art for this night._

_I fucking love you, Mari,_ he thought as he felt her hand trace up his jaw before the chorus hit.

As he felt everyone else slip away besides them.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lukanette Playlist:  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Z32vNXRl7nIyJInDdQcb6?si=cyGTAreJQHmazi6QjA6HSg
> 
> Songs in this chapter"  
> \- "yes girl" by Bea Miller  
> -"Laps Around a Picture Frame" by Broadside
> 
> I promise, there's more than singing in this fic.

" _Could tell you what you wanna hear"_

She walked slowly to the stage, looking to her side with head down low before she reached the front. Dancers dressed in black following very tranquilly behind her in tentative steps.

She distantly prayed to the Kwamis that Luka wouldn't leave the stage like she assumed he planned to do since she was the only one singing.

And that the headpiece hiding in her wig with the mic would stay on.

She even had Nino quickly play the background music so Luka could finally get what he wanted.

 _"'Cause the truth is always in the way_  
_I never wanna live in fear",_ she tried not to jump when his hand drifted under her chin in a light touch.

She raised her own hand to hold along his jawline, thanking her small red deity when Luka managed to fall into her rhythm and stood behind her more, free hand hovering and twitching to touch her before she shortened the note of the first verse, hand rising to feel along his neck to his jawline and hold his cheek while he stayed at her back.

 _"I don't wanna hold back all the things I need to say",_ it was near impossible to ignore the feeling in her stomach when he leaned into her touch as she repeated the last word twice with a carrying of notes. To ignore the untied connection as both their shoulders rolled in a wave to the rhythm, when he guided her chin to look at him.

" _Say_  
_Say"_

She felt the need to swallow for emotions, instead turning around in time with the pick up and speed, and gripping the strings of his zip up to pull him to her, almost shivering when his pick hand held her waist on top of the dress and under her own hoodie.

_"I got you figured out, you need to have control_  
_You think that I don't know you, I know you, I know"_

She pushed on his chest, walking them backwards as he clasped his grip around her wrist and didn't look elsewhere.

_"Trying to tell you now, I've been doing what you want_  
_But I won't be your yes girl, no, not anymore"_

She leaned in close, a hand resting on his racing heart from the previous performance. The other traveled to hold the back of his neck, showing a pleading look with a blue and pink set of eyes.

Just as he tugged her closer to him, the dancers that were modeled to look like shadows of her yanked her away from Luka. Him watching in pain as she struggled against arms wrapped around her body that pulled her to the other side of the small stage.

 _"Just let me go, just let me go_  
_Won't be your yes girl, no, not anymore",_ she pulled a grimace out of thin air when one dancer's hand held under her chin and forced her to look up at them, hands clasped behind her back by another dancer while someone else made move to grab the edge of her mask.

Distantly, she heard shouts of encouragement to the dancers to reveal who she was just as she shook the dancer's hand away who "intended" to expose her.

_"Just let me go_  
_Just let me go_  
_Won't be your yes girl, no, not anymore"_

She let herself struggle some more before the melody took place and the shadows seemed to have become sloth like in their movements to capture her.

 _"You used to always let me in,"_ she ignored the backing vocals that were previously recorded and approached him carefully. A small hand holding the side of his face while his ceruleans -were they always that dark? - softened at her panicked look that was being masked to show affection towards him.

" _Do you even know you changed?"_ She flinched, directed at herself and regret passing her, where she managed to summon it and what from, she didn't know. Judging by Luka's expression, he seemed to carry it too despite it not being the original part of her story for the song.

Then again, he works so well with her that anyone he creates for her character would work just as well. Maybe he was telling the story of being the lover watching as insecurities and flaws gnawed away at her person.

 _"And now you're my favorite sin, oh",_ she wasn't sure how surprised he was when she swiftly turned around in a fluid motion, a hand blindly -and successfully- clasping at his zipper behind her at his chest.

In a slow move in time with the song, she faced him again and leaned up to meet him, dragging his zipper down until it unfastened at the bottom and his hoodie opened.

Neither hearing the erupted screaming, wolf whistling, or shouting of the crowd the further they got lost into the music and tandem of working so well with one another.

Not caring as flashes came and went rapidly from paparazzi and cameras.

"' _Cause I'm either on your side or you're a mile away oh",_ he leaned close to connect with her, inching closer and her heart pounded just as one hand slid 'round to hold at his bare waist under the material, muscles constricting and relaxing from her touch.

"Oh", the gradual increase of her volume, the precipice of what sounded like a shaky voice about to break on purpose adding volumes to the tone of the song.

Their lips nearly met before the chorus restarted and the shadowed figures grabbed at her again, forcing her back roughly in between notes so she could sing without difficulties.

She reached out to him as Luka stepped closer, lost at what to do to save her and help.

Except, he did just as the chorus hit and grabbed at her, pulling her into his bare chest and walking them backwards while he kissed her hair.

" _I got you figured out, you need to have control_  
_You think that I don't know you, I know you, I know"_ she barely managed to contain the startled gasp as he grabbed her waist, dipping her and running a hand along her cheek.

_"Trying to tell you now, I've been doing what you want_  
_But I won't be your yes girl, no, not anymore"_

Mari would have to talk to the dance instructor into giving one of the girls named Claire a raise for her performance. The shadow girl took Marinette's - _Melody's-_ hand and forced it open, like a claw and pressed it against Luka's chest above his heart so he had no choice but to let go in feigned pain and a display of gritting teeth as he faltered backwards.

" _Just let me go, just let me go_  
_Won't be your yes girl, no, not anymore_  
_Just let me go_  
_Just let me go_  
_Won't be your yes girl, no, not anymore"_

The constant back and forth changed significantly each time as the shadows became more aggressive in their fight to consume the girl and Luka became more defiant with the idea of saving her and being with the girl at last.

" _Woah no_  
_I won't do it anymore_  
_I won't do it anymore"_

She became compliant as the tempo slowed and her voice faded out, letting the shadows cover her face with a black mask at the bottom and the black cap to match them; becoming the living embodiment of her insecurities and fears.

She watched as Luka took his guitar off, looking like a pissed off lover who just wanted to comfort his significant other once more and take her away from the bad. He stood facing her despite being further along the stage.

The shadows moved away with her in content and she found herself bracing her body before she took off in a run towards Luka as the music flowed back in swiftly.

Yanking off the mask and throwing the cap to the side-possibly to the audience.

" _I got you figured out,"_ she leapt into his arms that clutched her tighter to him, face burying in her neck and wig, letting the momentum of her hurling her body to his swing them some. He listened to her carry the note as the background continued with the verse line.

_"Trying to tell you now, I've been doing what you want_  
_But I won't be your yes girl, no, not anymore"_

Luka pulled back from her neck to look down at her properly, no need for a silent question or gesture to indicate his neck move as their connection laid out one another's plans to them already without the words.

Her hands were already moving up his chest to clasp behind his neck as he held her gaze intently.

" _Just let me go_ ", he grabbed one leg in time, mindful of the bodycon mini dress and discreetly angling her lower half to face away from the crowd by a fraction as her dress hiked higher on her body.

Still visible to the audience, but they couldn't see her front side below the waist as well now.

" _Just let me go_ ", he made a move to grab at her other leg, hitching both around his torso tightly and supporting her barely there weight by keeping one arm that was closest to the audience under her thighs, effectively keeping her rising dress in place against his forearm he pressed close to prevent further movement. High top converse crossed at his lower back.

" _Won't be your yes girl, no, not anymore"_ , she smiled slightly, hand back to cupping his face as one trekked through his messy hair.

" _Just let me go_  
_Just let me go"_

Her thumb caught on his lower lip, pulling it down slightly and holding his heated gaze with her own, watching as the blacks of his eyes nearly swallowed his ceruleans. His darkness blues looked between her eyes to her lips and she found herself following his lead for the last line.

Voice quieting and dying down, serenity overcoming the frantic thoughts and panic, she leaned in close once more just as he was doing.

" _Won't be your yes girl, no, not anymore"_ , his right hand that faced away from the audience smoothly rose to tilt her jaw towards him, thumb pressing against her lips wholly as he slanted a closed kiss to her covered mouth.

He saved them both from the mistake of getting lost in the music and their connection together. No matter how badly they would sacrifice just about anything to relive the feeling of being with one another just as they had that one night on the _Liberty_.

The feeling of the boat rocking from crashing waves, the sound of harsh rain pelting all around that created a dull roar of white noise, the boisterous sound of thunder and having only lightning strikes to illuminate the room with their eyes closed and his hands tangled in her hair while hers traced the feature of his face.

Regardless, the crowd either understood or missed his move completely as the room let chaotic symphony of cheering and flashing, letting it bounce everywhere as their eyes fell closed and the lights dimmed.

*

The curtains closed and Max shut their mics off, letting them both catch a breath for a second as Luka pulled away from Marinette rather reluctantly and allowed her to slide down to the floor. He shifted with her wordlessly as he bent downwards to hold the dress securely at the hem before she was standing upright with a grateful smile.

He returned it just as brightly and felt the regular heat to his ears return as she stepped closer and gave one of her famous hugs that made everyone smile, especially feeling it as she smiled herself against his chest.

"Thank you, I really can't say it enough." He murmured into her shoulder.

She brought everything the mosaic was lacking just for him. She threw together a makeshift performance that they managed to pull off without previous planning. She had trusted him enough to figure out her interpretation of the song and her intentions. Trusted him to take the reign for every few moves and actions.

She giggled, pulling back and holding his arms. "The least you deserve for all your hard work and sacrifices, is to get the mosaic you wanted. I'm sorry the first song didn't go so well for you and that they didn't notice."

He shrugged, "What can you do?" He couldn't find himself to care with the adrenaline he was running on because of her. They may not have danced much, but their performance spoke more than an explanation could and would more than suffice the crowd.

He let go of her when Max approached and took the mic carefully from her wig, handing her a microphone instead to hold onto.

"Guess that means we're about to go on sooner than expected."

"Guess that means I'm closer to my nap." Luka joked, walking to grab his guitar and approach his mic stand. He noticed Kitty Section appearing behind him quickly to set up just to provide the background music.

He suddenly felt more than whole with Mari and the band at his side.

She stood a few feet away, glancing at him. "We got this, right?"

"When have we never?", he responded confidently as the curtains rolled back up and the mics turned back on.

*

Luka felt lighter than ever, excitement pumping through him and numbing his sore muscles and injuries.

His guitar was still at his back as his hands encased they handle of microphone and the sense under the adjustment setting.

Blue eyes looked down as he held his head up, hearing Juleka coming in with her guitar as he breathed.

" _In my head, I feel you stare_  
_Is it my lips or my dark hair?"_

His acting slipped through, hand running in a subtle and careful motion through his dark locks as he looked up at the crowd. Eyes flinching as his limb dropped to his side.

" _I'm used to it, been there a few times_  
_I don't know_  
_Are these thoughts really mine?"_

He swung his guitar around in a slow motion as Ivan twirled his drum stick and waited for his cue as Luka finished the first verse.

His soft voice let a crack and a small growl slip through to emphasize the lyrics.

_"I can't contain these demon's hands_  
_From pulling my mind beneath my mask_  
_This room is growing so cold"_

He let his voice die down as the spot next to him suddenly lit up to reveal Marinette dressed as Melody standing to his side, raising her microphone near her lips and lolling her head up.

" _I'm in my head_  
_I'm hardly dressed"_

He saw as she angled her upper half and let his Siren hoodie drop off her shoulder to reveal the exposed skin, before tugging it back up and fixing the hem of her dress for show.

_"Say I beg for attention_  
_You don't see my reflection"_

She walked closer to him, her pretty voice wanting to draw him closer if it wasn't for the microphone, wanting to hear the rough edges she brought when needed.

_"The person I am ain't the girl I was raised to be_  
_I live my life on this image that you built for me"_

Her free hand lazily gestures to her face and body, stopping short near him and leaned forwards as the notes carried from her diaphragm and a true look of genuine hurt passed her features, a wavering wobble heard.

" _I hate myself, I have no friends_  
_Just a blurry reminder of being second best"_

He was sure the crowed could see the visible shivers that passed through him when her own voice growled with vibrato notes to accompany it.

" _This room is growing so cold",_ he turned to lend her a part of his back, feeling her head rest against the middle of his ribs behind him and her tone becoming hopeless before she pushed off of him and he raised his pick hand in a swift motion to bring it back down against the strings, joining her voice in the chorus and matching her in a harmony they didn't need practice for.

" _The room is growing so cold, cold_  
_Not every treasure's made of gold, gold"_

He faced her in time to walk closer to her like she was doing in turn and saw the mixture of emotions that she only revealed in music to him.

" _What do you want from me?_  
_I try my best to be more than my anxiety_  
_Not every treasure's made of gold_  
_Woah oh, gold"_

He let Juleka carry his part as he moved his guitar to his back, took her microphone and cupped her cheek, tilting her face to look at him as took the first half of the bridge.

_"I know that you've been there before_  
_You felt that you've cried on that floor_  
_Feelin' left out, so stressed out, baby"_

He grinned when she shot him a wink and a teasing smirk as she moved way and held his one hand, pulling the mic back to her own just in time for the second half.

_"But I promise you've got so much more_  
_Than loving to lose up on war_  
_Gotta stand up, scream 'no more'"_

He sang the last line in the close proximity that sharing one mic brought.

_"Gotta stand up, scream 'no more'"_

He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek, using the gap in the melody to tug himself away from her -visibly reluctantly to the audience as he passively made it back to the mic stand and settled his guitar back in front of him.

" _The room is growing so cold, cold_  
_Not every treasure's made of gold, gold_  
_What do you want from me?_  
_I try my best to be more than my anxiety_  
_Not every treasure's made of gold_  
_Woah oh, gold"_

The original version of _Laps Around a Picture Frame_ required the outro to have more growled parts. He was grateful he was able to turn them into high notes his mixture of tenor and mostly masculine alto voice allowed while Marinette sounded close to the edge of breaking down and emotionally vulnerable to create a heavy weight in the first part as she sang second.

 _"I'm falling apart inside",_ he didn't have to wait as Mari took over quickly for him.

_"Do you really care if I live or die?"_

Luka really didn't like that part of the trade off in the first half where her real curiosity peaked through as he fastly geared himself to take over the rest of the song.

_"And I just wasn't by_  
_Just to pass the time"_

He slowed his playing, dropped his voice to hold a quiver in the notes and sound just as broken as Mari.

 _"The room is growing so cold",_ it was tragic that both didn't need to act on the raw emotions of insecurities and false happiness they both contained

As soon as the lights went dark and the curtains closed for the last song, he moved his guitar and braced himself on his knees, taking a breather and letting his band mates clap him on the back. He straightened and moved with them to go around the curtain where the crowd was still cheering and raving.

Marinette - _Melody,_ fuck if he had a head on straight enough to call her that when he could only see her- stood right next to him, grinning with a flirtatious wink to the audience when Luka slung an arm around her shoulders -and maybe stifling a giggle when he not so subtly pulled the Siren hoodie to cover more of her skin.

Luka grabbed for the offered mic a stagehand brought him that was being passed down the line of his band mates, huffing for air and running a hand through his messy hair before it dropped back over Marinette's shoulder.

"I apologize in advance if I sounded winded," he started with a cheeky smile, dimples making an appearance. He aired his hot skin by fanning himself with shaky jerks to his opened hoodie, confusion evident on his face until Mari snorted and covered her masked face with her hand. He glanced down and sheepishly grinned, "Ah, sorry. Normally I'm better dressed for occasions such as this."

He knew he could zip up the hoodie, Mari did him a favor already by coming up with the outfit and look, then creating their performance too. But he knew that the longer he stood there exposed, the more he could have ease at work the next few days knowing he did all he could for good publicity.

Distantly he heard shouts from women to take off his hoodie or do a strip tease, prompting his jaw to drop a little in surprise and horror, never growing use to the rather brazen demands his fans made.

Juleka was there to save him as Mari was a lost cause with her cackles as she fell into his side from his reaction.

"I'd rather not make news headlines with a picture of me hurling into the crowd, thanks."

"I'm not that bad looking, Jules."

"Can you even be classified as a _'_ looker' in general though?"

Ivan raised his microphone as he stood between the two, looking back and forth with the microphone held firmly between both hands. He didn't speak much during post performances, but when he did..

"Oooh, you just gonna take that man?", the kind-hearted pacifist brute looking man was a little shit to the core.

Luka rolled his eyes, playing along as he dragged Mari with him who was still in a fit of laughter, approaching close to Jules in the center of stage.

"At least mom loves me more," he started, eyebrow shooting up as she pulled Rose by the hand to stand at her side and face off with him.

"At least mom considered me a ' _surprise'_ rather than an accident."

"Oooh," Ivan looked to Luka very patiently, lips pressed to a thin line and to him. "Luka, your rebuttal?"

Luka smirked, hip cocking into Mari's waist causally as he looked down at her and gave her a childish lip pout with a nod in an ' _I've got this'_ move.

"A _blessed_ accident, sis." He teased, "Like those hallmark movies where I change her entire life and give it a newfound meaning." Luka leaned forwards to deliver the blow, "Not like, ' _oh, well damn. Here's another!'_ , Jules."

She faked a growl and snapped, "Rose and I could wipe the floor with you, man. Watch what you say."

"OOOH," Ivan was no help.

"Melody and I could crush the two of you any time, any day, anywhere."

Rose gave an impassive smile, "Hi, Mels."

Mari smiled back, holding her free hand out to hold the pixie blonde's. "Hi, Rose."

"Melody!" Luka yelped, pulling her further away and sending glares to the girls. "Don't fraternize with the enemy!"

The crowd, previously giggling in their seats at the show the band put on, started howling when Jagged walked on stage.

He stood in the center, looking between his children that he now openly loved since he found out of his blood relations. His head dropped and he pinched the bridge of his nose, blindly reaching for Marinette's microphone.

"Excuse my idiot children, they've yet to have their daily sibling squabble today." He pointed for them both to go back to their spots and they pouted before relenting. "They're such brats, I swear."

Luka spun on his heel, twisting him and Mari around who clasped onto his hoodie after almost tumbling if it weren't for his arm around her shoulder, prompting her to look up with frazzled blue and pink eyes.

"TOMORROW AT THE PLAYGROUND, EIGHT PM."

Juleka whipped around, startling Rose. "BRING IT."

Luka stuck his tongue out and shifted the mic in his hand to make an 'L' in front of his forehead. Juleka gestured to flip him off before Rose yanked at her hand and pulled her away.

Jagged sighed dramatically, " ' _Live the life of a rockstar,'_ they said. ' _It'll be fun,'_ they said." He paused for a moment before looking at Ivan who stood to the side behind him. "You proud of yourself, kid?"

"Yes, very much so."

"Do you even have a goal in life besides being a drummer and starting shit?"

"Yes, tomorrow at eight pm at the playground."

Jagged sighed, turning with an apologetic smile. "Have a safe trip home folks, thanks for coming."

*

Luka strolled out of his apartment suite that belonged to the Bourgeois, fancy and elegant as always.

The entire top floor and two right below it was reserved for the Miraculous Team, not that the mayor knew. He agreed to the their housing for a reduction for the price when Chloé said she would go to therapy if he allowed her friends to stay there to "support her".

In reality, it was one of Marinette's conditions when Chloé was targeted by an akuma three years prior/ this time it wasn't her fault (surprisingly)- and she broke down sobbing with apologies passing her lips and begging Ladybug to give her another chance, claiming she would do anything.

Ladybug, ever the overly forgiving kind soul she was, relented and discussed it with the team. Coming up with a terms Chloé had to meet and what she would offer as a sign of apology to the team for exposing them to Hawkmoth in their civilian selves, being the reason the whole complicated Bunnyx plan had to happen just to get their secret identities back.

Some of it seemed like revenge, but then again, it was Chloé who brought it upon herself. Luka made the joke about having her commit to therapy a few times a week and earning the bee miraculous back, as well as the core condition she couldn't break.

Ladybug and Chat Noir approached Mayor Bourgeois with a legal document saying Chloé could redeem herself, but if she maliciously causes an akuma -intentional or not and not Marinette style-, she betrayed the team, she used her miraculous for her own selfish gains, or she digressed back to her old self, well...

She would be held in court and tried for every akuma attack she was responsible for as well as the danger of exposing herself and the team in the past, and for abusing a spirited power that was now a law in Paris regarding the cruelty of Kwamis.

It was just a private decree that was sealed in the mayor's office though.

Imagine Luka's surprise when Ladybug and Chat Noir dropped in through Marinette's sun hatch with shocked looks to the core five members (Him, Lb, Chat, Rena, Carapace).

He remembered that one of his strings snapped as soon as Ladybug broke the news while she dropped transformation and collapsed onto her bed, face first and over his outstretched legs where he rested with his back to the wall.

A fight ensued that night between Alya and Marinette, later turning into a fight between Marinette and Adrien when he expressed siding with Alya. That then turned into a fight of Nino against Adrien and Alya, all the while Luka's head was swarming with ideas of how to chill everyone the hell out.

*

Three years ago:

"You're back earl-," Luka looked up, her face expressionless his hands stilled on his guitar. "What is it, what's wrong?"

"She agreed."

"Fuck!" He jumped in his seat on her bed, hand moving away at lightning speed when a string snapped and whipped back to hit him. "Sorry, sorry. That wasn't aimed at you, I'm just surprised is all."

She gave him a pitying smile in response as she called out to Tikki to transform back.

Chat lounged on the stairs to her bed and stared off, "I was so sure she would say no. Our contract listed some pretty brutal things that we were sure she would throw a fit over."

Mari fell into her comforters, her chest on top of Luka's thighs and towards his knees as he moved his guitar out of the way. She screamed into her pillow where her face landed, body trying to curl in on itself with Luka's legs in the way.

Seventeen year old Luka would've stroked her hair and waited for her to speak.

Twenty-one year old Luka was forced to sit there with Adrien Agreste's new girlfriend mumbling displeasures into pink blankets and pillows.

Sometimes he regretted coming back permanently or so late, he couldn't decide.

"I don't know what I'm going to do, I didn't think she would take it."

Alya spoke up from the computer chair down below, "Then just don't do it."

"What?" Luka spoke up, hands tucked between the free part of his thighs. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, just don't keep your end of the promise."

A long string of muffled curses from Marinette made their way to Luka's ears. Well _fuck._

She picked her head up and turned it towards the girl, resting on her forearms, eyes cold and vacant. "You expect me to do what?"

The reporter stood up, exasperated as Nino's face fell into his hands and a still transformed Adrien's head rested against the railing to the stairs.

"Look, Chloé's a bitch and she always will be. It's baffling that you're considering to h-,"

" _Considering?_ I am going to help her. I made a promise and I intent to keep it."

"Girl, I don't get you. You'll back up people like Chloé but the good ones you don't want to give the time of day to."

"You are not fucking bringing her into this again. I told you I was done with her years ago."

_Bad topic. Bad topic. Don't talk about Lila._

Luka had been witness to several Marinette breakdowns before, almost always pertaining to the scheming girl. He was sworn to an intense secrecy by his crush to keep quiet about her issues and not tell a soul.

That, and he couldn't beat Lila up. Something to do with it not being "morally right" and the fact that she was a "girl".

_Bullshit if you ask him._

He looked towards Adrien to see if he was going to interject, possibly stand up for his recently acquired girlfriend.

The blonde rested with his back to the railing.

_God fucking dammit._

"Maybe if you gave her a chance-,"

"This isn't even about her! It's about Chloé!"

"Fuck her! Why should we bother if she screwed us over to begin with?

"Chloé is someone who genuinely apologized and wanted to make up for it. She was, is, willing to do anything. She's risking her status and freedom to redeem herself. She's trying to earn the right to be a miraculous holder."

"Bullshit," Alya started laughing. "Who the hell decides this shit anyways? It's fucking dumb as hell and a huge mistake."

"Oh?" Luka caught her arm as she stumbled blindly to get up and make her way down the stairs, shoving past Chat who remained quiet.

_Honestly, if Luka could beat some sense into him..._

"You wanna say that to my face now?"

Chat finally brought words forth, "Marinette, maybe she's right. You could just not keep your end up?"

Nino shook his head, "Dude, no."

"Are you two fucking serious right now?" She asked, completely baffled and angry. "You want me to go against my word and a promise, one that's now fucking legal as well, just because you think she isn't worthy of a chance to be a miraculous holder?"

"She's made mistakes, girl."

"A lot." Adrien interjected.

"Like you two haven't," she snorted. Her arms crossed and she dropped her false amusement.

"Well we're human."

"So is she."

Alya was quick for another reason, "And we don't use our miraculous for selfish reasons."

"She's got a point, Marinette."

"Yeah?" Luka knew where this was going, sparing a glance to Nino who was equally not impressed with his girlfriend and best friend.

Marinette briskly turned to Adrien, "Should I just forget about the fact that you risked multiple missions just to flirt with me, hit on me, try getting together with me? That whenever I turned you down, you took it out on me and didn't cooperate until late into the fight? That you threatened to give up your miraculous because I didn't include you on something the previous guardian had entrusted me with and eventually would have with you too?"

He gave a startled look and paled in the face. "How did you know about that?"

She looked offended, "What? You think all your kwamis don't come back to me to vent or rant? You think they like being told what to do or being ignored? They're powerful gods, higher spirits. They're older than all of us combined, all of Paris combined. And they're treated like pets that you feel obligated to take care of." A solemn look fell over her as she swallowed and look towards the now pink and white with black borders Victorian antique dollhouse, that had long since replaced the wretched spotted egg.

"Plagg would've told me."

"There's no way Trixx would do that."

"Dude, it really can't be that hard to believe." Nino yanked his headphones from around his neck off, letting it clatter to her pink rug below him and rubbing at his face in irritation. "Of course the kwamis come to her, she's their _guardian_. They trust her more than us and they're under her care and protection by some higher power force."

"I've noticed that some of us, not naming anyone, seem to forget that just because they've learned to adapt to our speech and modern personalities, it doesn't mean we have the right to treat them like children or below us. They're not getting the respect they deserve or recognition." Luka glanced towards a burned Marinette who was close to snapping her jaw off. "It's just like how we forget that their guardian deserves the same amount of it too. She chose us for each miraculous."

Chat sputtered, "Not me! Master Fu chose me!"

The petite girl whipped around to stalk in front of her boyfriend, hell fury and rage painting her skin as the whites of her teeth bared.

"I'm the reason why you still have that damn ring! You understand how many times I've vouched first you? Excused your mistakes or promised to correct them and help you? Master Fu even confessed he thought he made a hasty decision that day." She ducked her head down, breathing in deeply with closed eyes. "This arguement has strayed from its original point and intent."

A snort from the other girl, "Glad that's ov-,"

"I will be keeping my promise to Chloé Bourgeois and helping her redeem herself to earn the bee miraculous back."

"Girl, seriously. You're making a big mistake." Alya huffed, ready to start up the tension from an unfinished fight.

There was a beat of silence as her melody fell into a discordant jumble of fury.

"Everyone leave. I have things to do, a patrol to get to." She shot out, transforming and turning her back.

Adrien reaches a black gloved hand out to stop her, "Here, we're both supposed to go together for patrol."

"Not tonight." And she left out her hatch, bounding across buildings.

The rest of the core five sat in silence before Nino stood up, walking past his girlfriend and down the steps with her following behind with the intention to guilt him to her side.

Chat exhaled through his nose heavily and canted his eyes to the ceiling before he gave a half-ass salut and said he was headed home.

And Luka flopped on her bed with a groan before Viperion took off into the sunset after her to listen and calm a Ladybug down.

To do the job her boyfriend should've done.

*

He opened the door in time to see Kim doing handstand push ups while Alix tried to derail his motivation by throwing decorative pillows at him.

Maybe he would've made an idle remark to the scene had it not been for the soreness and pain of the night settling in and his wounds finally getting to him. Damage done enough to slow his ass down into limps and collapse onto a couch that was across from a papasan that was purely responsible for holding more pillows than needed in an apartment.

"Jesus, watch it dumbass." Juleka hissed from her side of the couch next to him. She held her drink of soda higher, frowning as droplets fell between her fingers.

"Sorry, long day." He groaned when he felt his weight settle.

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I know. I was there for the music bit. Not for the fighting though."

He opened one cerulean to see her amber ones, done from cosmetic surgery, "I'm sure Mari will put you on the field soon, Jules. You been training hard with Roarr to earn your spot on a sub team."

She hummed in response, "I'm not upset by it. Really. I just don't like seeing you come back home with so many cuts and bruises."

"That makes two of us," a voice came behind Luka. Juleka turned and he tilted his head back, accidentally resting it against her stomach and blinking up at her tiredly. "Come on, time to tend to those."

He blinked up once more at her before he let out a whine as he eyed the small first aid kit he was so used to seeing.

"I'm fine though," he tried, only to be silenced by her hand poking the cut above his eyebrow that resulted in him hissing and letting his head hang into his hand in front of him.

"Yeah, 'fine' my ass."

"And what a fine ass that is, Maribuns."

"Kim!" She flustered, blushing profusely as they all eyed the jock who walked off in cackles with another successful flirtatious remark having been made- to the expanse of Marinette's easily embarrassed state of course.

"That was a good one," Juleka nodded, sipping her drink as Luka agreed with a laugh before leaving to find Rose.

Marinette replaced where she had been sitting, the top of knees underneath her, resting on Luka's thigh as she placed a small hand under his chin and tilted upwards. He flinched with another hiss as he felt the sting from the disinfectant.

"Oh, so you can handle having punches thrown at you on the daily but not a small cotton swab? Baby..."

"I'm already wounded, no need to hurt my pride as well, doll." Whoops, there was still some residual Viperion slinking around his personality. She didn't cuss him out though, her blush reaching higher on her cheeks being the only indication that she didn't mind the nickname.

_Huh._

"You know these won't get infected, why bother?"

She huffed in exasperation, knees putting a comforting weight into his thigh as she grabbed for an icy-hot patch and told him to lift his shirt.

"Because, someone needs to take care of your reckless ass." Luka found himself ready to correct her and say that he wasn't _reckless_ like she claimed, but his mind focused solely on one thing and found it slipping from his lips as she pressed a patch to a sore spot she knew like the back of her hand.

"And that someone is you?" He caught her eyes as she froze, feeling the heat rise up his neck and ears as her cheeks darkened and she swallowed.

_"Is it selfish of me to want you to stay in Paris?"_

_"Not as selfish as wanting you to leave Paris with me."_

"I, um," she fumbled, squeezing her eyes shut as her hand started to shake against his abs before she steeled herself once more and exhaled slowly. "Yes. I'm the team leader after all." She didn't sound too convinced.

"Right, thanks." He turned his head and body so she could placed patches along his back. He willed shivers down but couldn't do anything for the chills in his skin to rise at the comforting cool touch of her fingers that brushed his skin. "Thanks." He said once more when she finished.

She smiled at him before her eyes widened in realization. "Oh!" She left his side and returned with her tote bag. Pulling out a black heating pad he once bought her when Adrien was out of town and she complained of serious cramps over text. "Here, for your back or abs, whichever is more sore." She scans his body cautiously before offering a sad smile, "I make sure to keep track of you when you fight or move on the field. I know how exhausting it must be for you to overuse the snake core strength."

Moments like these are when his heart pounds a bit harder and his mouth goes dry. He wills the blush down and tries not to think of how protective they both seem of one another, how it's become increasingly obvious as of lately and how much she expresses her care for him.

He goes to grab the soft black felt, feeling the pad underneath the cover and flashes that easy grin back, "Thanks, Mari." The grin doesn't feel as genuine and easy as it should be, not when he can't properly thank her the way he wants to.

She helps him plug it in, letting him grab her waist when she tells him to lean up and forwards as she hovers over him to place the heating pad behind his back. She flinches in sympathy when he groans in pain at the sudden movement in his core, flopping back and emitting a guttural noise from the impact.

She lets out a breath from having to keep his heavy weight up, looking at him with a mixture of amusement and immense worry.

"Take it easy next time, please?"

He notes the way one blue eye squint in hope and offers her a carefree grin she could kick his ass for if he wasn't already regretting his own mistake.

"No guarantees, doll."

She sits back on her legs, moving to grab her sketchbook and pencil before reclining and gesturing for him to life his legs over her lap so he can properly rest. She hasn't said a word back to him, instead focusing on twirling her pencil -albeit impressively- and biting the nail of her thumb. He grabs for her wrist, gently pulling the abused and once manicured nail form her mouth.

"I'll try, Marinette. That's all I can promise, you know that."

They stare at one another, another twist in the front of his head trying to show him another image that he catches a glimpse of for a brief second.

Him pulling her down to him to press a kiss to her worried lips and saying the same thing but with more freely expressed affection.

He squeezes his eyes shut in pain to ward it off, holding a hand up when she calls to him and just muttering something about a muscle tensing.

She doesn't look convinced in the slightest and he finds himself gazing around the room lazily to avoid her lie detecting eyes, Okay, Luka."

A phone appears in his field of vision when he looks back, accompanied by earbuds, which he takes gratefully to drown out the sounds of his excitable teammates his naturally introverted ass wants to avoid 95% of the time. He can only contain his approval of Marinette's accustomed introverted nature so much -given how it was acquired- given how she chooses to spend it with him when people become too much for them both.

He navigates through her phone, ignoring the passcode option -which he knows already since he plays on it so much- and opting to startle her when he shoves the phone under her face to unlock it. He gives a grin that she swats his legs for that reside over her lap and under her sketchbook. Once he's sure she's playfully ignoring him, he goes through his playlist, about to tease her for the new selection of k-pop before she sends a pre-set glare at him and his lips press into a thin line.

Luka clicks one, bored as hell and bops his head a bit. "Ooh, this one smacks."

He jerks his leg up a bit when she pinches it, but they both know he appreciates every selection of music she has and doesn't mean the teasing.

There's a slump in his shoulders around the third song and he's already falling asleep with the smell of her perfume near him and her confounding cool warmth seeping through his joggers.

From the corner of the room, Adrien glances at them and grows frustrated when he finds that airy lack of care he's been having.

Nino looks him, eyes tracking his face. "You good, dude?"

"Yeah, that's the problem."

**Author's Note:**

> Don’t forget to bookmark, comment and leave a kudos! Check out my tumblr notasiren21 for updates and head canons about Lukanette and join the Miraculous Big Bang! Thank you!


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